Investigations into unidentified human remains now completed

On April 3, 1980, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office responded to what is now 250th Street, west of County Road 136, in the city of St. Augusta, because a dead baby had been found. Sheriff Charlie Grafft and other members of the Sheriff’s Office responded to the area. A dead baby, identified as Baby Jane Doe, was found approximately five feet from the road. Baby Jane Doe was transported to the Hennepin County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy, where it was performed on April 4, 1980. The results of the autopsy were that Baby Jane Doe was a full-term, live-born female baby with no anatomical cause of death. Baby Jane Doe was buried on April 7, 1980, at Calvary Cemetery in St. Cloud. The Sheriff’s Office investigation continued with no immediate results.

1980 photo of the location where Baby Jane Doe’s body was found. It is now located on 250th Street, west of County Road 136, in St. Augusta. Submitted photo.

In 2018, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office exhumed Baby Jane Doe from Calvary Cemetery in an attempt to obtain Baby Jane Doe’s DNA profile (however, this attempt was unsuccessful). Baby Jane Doe was promptly returned to her final resting place at Calvary Cemetery.

In 2019, the Sheriff’s Office and the BCA re-examined items collected from the original crime scene, including a Pepsi can, a Merit cigarette pack, a Pfeiffer beer can, and an Old Milwaukee beer can. These items had no further evidentiary value.

In 2020, the Sheriff’s Office and the BCA examined histology blocks collected by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office during Baby Jane Doe’s autopsy in 1980. The histology blocks contained portions of Baby Jane Doe’s lungs, heart, spleen, thymus, larynx, adrenal gland, aorta, pancreas, trachea, liver, ovary, uterus, kidney, and/or brain. A DNA profile was created from profiling of Baby Jane Doe’s spleen.

In 2020, the Sheriff’s Office contacted Parabon NanoLabs to assist in the investigation, specifically to assist them in their attempt to identify Baby Jane Doe’s parents. In 2021, Parabon NanoLabs provided investigative direction to assist the Sheriff’s Office in its attempt to identify Baby Jane Doe’s mother. This investigative direction concerned the possible identity of Baby Jane Doe’s grandparents.

In 2021, the Sheriff’s Office and the BCA examined histology blocks collected by the Hennepin County Coroner’s Office during a previous autopsy of an adult female. This adult female had been identified as Baby Jane Doe’s possible mother based on an investigative lead from Parabon NanoLabs in early 2021 regarding the possible identity of Baby Jane Doe’s grandparents. A DNA profile was created from profiling of the deceased woman’s heart. This profile was compared to the profile obtained from Baby Jane Doe. The comparison results showed that the genetic results obtained from Baby Jane Doe are 1,700 times more likely to be found in a biological child of the adult female than in someone unrelated to the adult female. The BCA reported that there is strong evidence that the biological relationship between the deceased adult female and Baby Jane Doe is a biological mother-daughter relationship.

In 2024, Parabon NanoLabs provided investigative instructions to assist the Sheriff’s Office in our efforts to identify Baby Jane Doe’s father. This investigative instruction related to the possible identity of Baby Jane Doe’s father, who could be one of three individuals identified. The Sheriff’s Office collected DNA from an adult male who consented to the collection of his DNA. The man was one of the three individuals provided by Parabon NanoLabs. The man’s DNA profile was compared to the profile obtained from Baby Jane Doe. The comparison results showed that the genetic results obtained from Baby Jane Doe are 670,000,000 times more likely to be a biological child of the adult female and adult male than someone unrelated to those individuals. The BCA reported that there is very strong evidence that the biological relationship between the adult female, adult male, and Baby Jane Doe is a biological parent-daughter relationship.

In May and June 2024, the Sheriff’s Office interviewed the adult male. The adult male cooperated in having his DNA taken and denied knowing anything about Baby Jane Doe.

After identifying Baby Jane Doe’s parents, conducting relevant interviews, and other investigative efforts, the Sheriff’s Office was unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a specific individual committed a crime related to Baby Jane Doe’s death. The Sheriff’s Office has closed this case. The fact that the mother could not be interviewed due to her death was a factor in the decision to close this case.

The Sheriff’s Office respects any potential interest in this investigative file and will proceed with the closure of the case, including completing any potential redaction requirements under Minnesota law, and will provide an update when the full case file is ready for release.

Closing this decades-long case was a true team effort by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. This, along with the help and input of the BCA Forensic Lab and the use of current DNA science, helped bring this case to a resolution. The Sheriff’s Office also thanks previous investigators who have worked on this case time and time again over the years and attempted to bring it to a conclusion. It is important for the public to know that a case like this, often referred to as an “unsolved case,” is not forgotten and that the office works tirelessly on these cases and continues to pursue leads and incorporate technological and scientific advancements to bring these cases to a final resolution.