Baby Girl Doe Treasure Island, MN Spring 2007
New effort to find babies' parents On Friday Goodhue County authorities released images, created by forensic artists, of three babies that were dumped in the Mississippi River over the last seven years. They are undoubtedly a bit eerie, but the hope is the pictures will spur someone to come forward with any new information. Starting in 1999, newborn babies started turning up in various Mississippi river shoreline areas of Goodhue County. Investigators want answers. They want to know who dumped the babies there and they hope what they're doing now with these sketches will provide some answers. The sketches of the three babies are based on their actual photographs that were taken after they were found. The first child, a girl, was found in Red Wing in 1999. The second, a boy and likely her brother, found on the shoreline in old Frontenac, four years later. And the third, likely an unrelated girl, found last spring near Treasure Island, north of Red Wing. Sheriff Dean Albers wants everyone in Minnesota to take a good look at the sketches and remember they are not just drawings, they are children. "I mean, I don't know anyone who could walk away from that. If we don't solve it by the time we finish our careers I'm sure some of the younger officers will carry it on. You don't close a case like this." Sheriff Albers says. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Last Updated: 2/8/2008 6:26:45 PM http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=496682

Body of newborn girl pulled from Mississippi near Red Wing Goodhue County Authorities revealed Tuesday afternoon that the body pulled from the river near Red Wing yesterday was a newborn girl. They also revealed that she'd been in the water significantly longer than originally thought. "Right now, it appears the child was placed in the water sometime late fall, or early winter, based on the condition of the body," shared Goodhue County Chief Deputy Scott McNurlin. "We don't have a place of origin where the body would have been placed, or how it came to rest in the marina harbor." Workers found the child while cleaning boat slips just before 1 p.m. Monday, at the Treasure Island Marina. Because of the strong spring current, it is difficult to determine where she came from. The coroners report also found broken bones and other trauma, but investigators believe those injuries happened after the child was put in the water. It is also unclear if the baby was alive at the time she was put in the water. The discovery shook the community of Red Wing. This is the third newborn pulled from the Mississippi River in the last eight years. Among those feeling the loss, is the staff at Fairview Red Wing Medical Services. "A lot of frustration and heartbreak for that poor mom, and for the community," vented Fairview Manager of Emergency and Urgent Care Services Jane Gisslen "It's a loss for the entire community." Like all hospitals across Minnesota, Fairview adheres to the Safe Place for Newborns Act. It allows mothers to leave infants less than 72 hours old at a hospital or medical facility, with no questions, other than a few health issues that could impact the babies survival. Gisslen isn't sure if the mother of this child didn't know about the law or if she didn't trust it. "We are sincere about that non-reporting business. I think they're afraid they're going to be under the radar reported, but if the child is less than 72 hours old, we take them, other than medical questions, we take them no questions asked. They need to be confident in that belief." Since the mother chose a more desperate option, the Goodhue County Sheriff's department is trying to find her. They are being helped by law enforcement agencies up-river, the Minnesota BCA, and behavioral specialists from the FBI. Besides finding the child's parents, they will also attempt to determine if she is related to the two other newborns, found in the river in 1999 and 2003. DNA tests could help prove if they were born to the same mother. In the meantime, investigators struggle with the same question everyone is asking, how could something this horrible happen in the same community three times? "The community is just reeling from this," reflected Deputy Chief McNurlin. "The first time it happens it's of concern, the second time it's almost beyond belief, and the third time you can't put words to it. It's something, even from a national perspective; I haven't seen anything quite like this." By Dana Thiede, KARE 11 News (Copyright 2007 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.) Last Updated: 3/27/2007 5:41:54 PM http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=249213&catid=14

Babies Found in River Investigation Last Edited: Tuesday, 03 Jul 2007, 3:57 PM CDT Created: Thursday, 28 Jun 2007, 6:56 PM CDT RED WING, Minn. (AP) -- DNA tests on three dead babies found in or near the Mississippi River in the past eight years have yielded "significant" results, the Goodhue County sheriff said. Sheriff Dean Albers would not discuss the results Thursday, saying he expected to make a public statement next week. "I think it will be significant," he said. A newborn's body was found in March in the river near the Treasure Island Resort & Casino marina. Authorities said the girl had been in the water for up to six months. In 1999, a boater found the body of a newborn girl near a marina in Red Wing; and in 2003, the body of a newborn boy was found near Frontenac. The identities of the babies, and causes of death, haven't been determined. Authorities have called the three deaths along a 15-mile stretch of the river unusual. Goodhue County spent more than $4,000 to have the babies' remains tested, the Red Wing Republican Eagle reported. Albers said those results were returned last week. He said he needed to meet with officials from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension before releasing any specifics. A funeral and burial service was held this week for the infant found in March. http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=3628090&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1