WINONA, Minn. - It's been five years since the body of a newborn was found in the Mississippi River in Winona County.
The child's identity remains a mystery. Sheriff Ron Ganrude says the baby girl's death is still an open case. Ganrude holds out hope that someone will provide information that will help solve the case.
Forensic experts say the newborn was two to three days old at the time of her death. No cause of death was determined.
The baby was found by boaters south of Winona. The child was wrapped in a T-shirt inside two garbage bags and placed in a canvas bag. Two angel figurines, two porcelain bells decorated with angels and a bracelet were found inside.
The sheriff's department arranged a burial for the child they call Baby Angel. On Monday a small group gathered around the child's grave to mark her passing, and the life she barely had a chance to experience. "Winona has a communal responsibility for children who are harmed and abandoned," Winona County Attorney Karin Sonnerman told the Winona Daily News.