On July 11, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office released a historical summary of female infant remains found more than 44 years ago that has led the cold case to a close.
The timeline is as follows:
On April 3, 1980, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office responded to what is now 250th Street, west of CR 136, in the city of St. Augusta on a report of a deceased infant. Sheriff Charlie Grafft and other members of the sheriff’s office responded to the area. A deceased infant, identified as Baby Jane Doe, was located approximately five feet off the roadway. Baby Jane Doe was transported to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy, which took place on April 4, 1980. The autopsy conclusion was Baby Jane Doe was a full term live born female infant with no anatomic cause of death. Baby Jane Doe was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Cloud on April 7, 1980. The sheriff’s office’s investigation continued.
In 2018, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office exhumed Baby Jane Doe from Calvary Cemetery to obtain Baby Jane Doe’s DNA profile. Baby Jane Doe was promptly returned to her final resting place in Calvary Cemetery. A DNA profile was not obtained.
In 2019, the sheriff’s office and BCA re-examined items collected from the original scene, which included a Pepsi can, a Merit cigarette pack, a Pfeiffer beer can, and an Old Milwaukee beer car. No further evidentiary value was obtained from those items.
In 2020, the sheriff’s office and BCA examined histology blocks collected by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office during the 1980 autopsy of Baby Jane Doe. The histology blocks contained portions of Baby Jane Doe’s lung, heart, spleen, thymus, larynx, adrenal gland, aorta, pancreas, trachea, liver, ovary, uterus, kidney and/or brain. A DNA profile was obtained from the profiling of Baby Jane Doe’s spleen.
In 2020, the sheriff’s office contacted Parabon NanoLabs to assist in the investigation, specifically to aid in our attempt to identify the parents of Baby Jane Doe. In 2021, Parabon NanoLabs provided investigative direction to assist the sheriff’s office in our effort to identify the mother of Baby Jane Doe. That investigative direction was the potential identity of Baby Jane Doe’s grandparents.
In 2021, the sheriff’s office and BCA examined histology blocks collected by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office during a previous autopsy of an adult female. This adult female had been identified as Baby Jane Doe’s potential mother based on the investigate lead provided by Parabon NanoLabs earlier in 2021 relating to the potential identity of Baby Jane Doe’s grandparents. A DNA profile was obtained from the profiling of the deceased female’s heart. This profile was compared against the profile obtained for Baby Jane Doe. The comparison results indicated the genetic results obtained from Baby Jane Doe are 1,700 times more likely to occur in a biological child of the adult female compared to someone unrelated to the adult female. The BCA reported there is strong evidence to support the biological relationship between the adult female and Baby Jane Doe as being a biological mother-daughter relationship.
In 2024, Parabon NanoLabs provided investigative direction to assist the sheriff’s office in our efforts to identify the father of Baby Jane Doe. That investigative direction was the potential identity of Baby Jane Doe’s father, and the father could be one of three individuals. The sheriff’s office collected DNA from an adult male, who consented to his DNA being collected. The male was one of the three provided by Parabon NanoLabs. The male’s DNA profile was compared against the profile obtained for Baby Jane Doe. The comparison results indicated the genetic results obtained from Baby Jane Doe are 670,000,000 times more likely to occur in a biological child for the adult female and adult male than in someone unrelated to these individuals. The BCA reported there is very strong evidence to support the biological relationship between the adult female, adult male, and Baby Jane Doe as being a biological parents-daughter relationship.
In May and June of 2024, the sheriff’s office interviewed the adult male. The adult male was cooperative in the collection of his DNA and denied knowledge of Baby Jane Doe.
After establishing the parents of Baby Jane Doe, completing relevant interviews, and other investigative efforts, the sheriff’s office has not been able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt a particular person committed a crime related to the death of Baby Jane Doe. The sheriff’s office has closed this case. Not being able to interview the mother because of her death factored into our decision to close this case.
The sheriff’s office respects any potential interest in wanting this investigative file and will continue the case closure, including the completion of any potential redaction needs applicable to Minnesota law, and provide an update when the full case file is ready for release.
The conclusion of this decades-long case was a true team effort by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division. This, along with the help and input from the BCA Forensic Lab, and the use of current DNA science, assisted in this case coming to a resolution. The sheriff’s office also extends it thanks to past investigators who worked on this case off and on over the years trying to bring this case to a close. It is important for the public to know a case like this, often referred to as a “cold case,” is not forgotten and our office tirelessly works on these cases and continues to follow-up on tips and the incorporation of technological and science advancements to draw these cases to a final resolution.
