ÍáÍáÂþ»­

The arrest of a well-known Winona resident in the 2011 cold case death of a newborn baby found floating in the Mississippi River stunned the community. 

 

Jennifer Baechle is a pillar in the local arts and music scene. She's a wife and mother of two, who volunteers with nonprofits and cooks for church fundraisers, including one benefiting the Winona Immigration Network. She’s an English instructor at Winona State University, her alma mater. 

 

Forensic geneology led investigators to Baechle's door, with concrete DNA evidence indicating Baechle is the mother. Yet the community is still left with one big question: Why did she wrap her baby in a tote bag and send her down the Mississippi River? 

 

In this episode, we speak with John Molseed, a Rochester Post Bulletin reporter who has been covering the story -- and has insight into the small city's reaction to it all. 

 

Press conference audio was provided by the Rochester Post Bulletin, a Forum Commnications newspaper. 

If you have any questions or comments, email Trisha Taurinskas at ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com.

 

In the final part of this series, we learn what the Minneapolis Police Department told Joli Truelson's family in a recent meeting -- and we learn the fate of her investigation. 

 

For more information on Joli Truelson, including photos, visit:

 

For more information on Jon Keith Miller, visit:

 

To contact Trisha Taurinskas, email ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com 

 

Want to support The Vault? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Positive reviews help generate search visibility, which means more awareness for the cases we cover. 

In part 4 of this series examining the 1972 Minneapolis murder of 16-year-old Joli Truelson, we examine the criminal -- and violent -- history of Jon Keith Miller, a potential suspect who was sentenced in March of 2025 for the 1974 murder of 25-year-old Mary Schlais. Miller picked up Mary Schlais while she was hitchiking in Uptown. Joli Truelson was also picked up while she was hitchhiking in Uptown. 

To see our print coverage on Joli Truelson, Mary Schlais and Jon Keith Miller, visit:

This podcast is hosted by Forum News Service reporter Trisha Taurinskas. You can contact Trisha by emailing her at ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com

In part 3 of this series, we cover the plea/sentencing hearing of Jon Keith Miller for the 1974 murder of 25-year-old Mary Schlais. 

Miller has been questioned in Joli Truelson's 1972 murder. 

Both girls hitchiked in Uptown Minneapolis before being killed. Schlais' body was dumped in a Wisconsin snowbank. Joli's body was found in Minneapolis' Minnehaha Creek. 

Jon Keith Miller was arrested for Schlais' murder in November 2024 after DNA analysis confirmed at the scene. Before confessing to investigators, he repeatedly denied killing Mary. 

To contact Trisha Taurinskas, email ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com

 

This is part 2 in the series, "Joli Truelson: Connecting the Dots," which examines the devastating impact of a flawed investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department into the 1972 slaying of 16-year-old Joli Truelson – and her family’s renewed fight for answers in the wake of a killer’s confession. 

 

Joli Truelson was picked up on the evening of July 3, 1972 in Uptown Minneapolis by a man driving a newer model, gold-colored, two-door vehicle. Her body was discovered 15 hours later in Minnehaha Creek, four miles away. She died from blunt force trauma to the back of her head, insinuating that she was running away from her attacker. Critical evidence was thrown away, including the possible murder weapon. Since then, her case has gone cold. 

 

Joli Truelson’s brother, though, always thought her death could be linked to a similar crime: the death of 25-year-old Mary Schlais in 1974. 

 

On Nov. 7, 2024, Jon K Miller, 84, confessed to picking up Mary Schlais while she was hitchhiking in Minneapolis. When she refused to have sex with him, he stabbed her 15 times. He drove to Dunn County, Wisconsin – roughly 90 miles away – and dumped her body in a ditch. 

 

An eyewitness saw it all – and called it in to authorities. He described the man as being in his mid-30s with mid-length brown hair. He described the vehicle as a newer model, gold-colored, two-door car. The killer went more than 50 years without being caught, until advancements in DNA led authorities to Jon K Miller's rural Minnesota assisted living facility door. When confronted with evidence, he confessed.  

 

With the help of Joli Truelson’s family, this series digs deep into the life and criminal history of Jon K Miller, attempting to answer the question: Did he murder Joli Truelson? 

 

Jon K Miller has been questioned in Joli Truelson’s murder investigation, but has not been charged with any crimes related to her death. 

 

The Vault is a Forum Communications podcast. 

 

This episode is hosted by investigative reporter Trisha Taurinksas. To reach Trisha, email her at ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com

 

For more information on this case, visit

This series examines the devastating impact of a flawed investigation by the Minneapolis Police Department into the 1972 slaying of 16-year-old Joli Truelson – and her family’s renewed fight for answers in the wake of a killer’s confession. 

 

Joli Truelson was picked up on the evening of July 3, 1972 in Uptown Minneapolis by a man driving a newer model, gold-colored, two-door vehicle. Her body was discovered 15 hours later in Minnehaha Creek, four miles away. She died from blunt force trauma to the back of her head, insinuating that she was running away from her attacker. Critical evidence was thrown away, including the possible murder weapon. Since then, her case has gone cold. 

 

Joli Truelson’s brother, though, always thought her death could be linked to a similar crime: the death of 25-year-old Mary Schlais in 1974. 

 

On Nov. 7, 2024, Jon K Miller, 84, confessed to picking up Mary Schlais while she was hitchhiking in Minneapolis. When she refused to have sex with him, he stabbed her 15 times. He drove to Dunn County, Wisconsin – roughly 90 miles away – and dumped her body in a snowbank. 

 

An eyewitness saw it all – and called it in to authorities. He described the man as being in his mid-30s with mid-length brown hair. He described the vehicle as a newer model, gold-colored, two-door car. The killer went more than 50 years without being caught, until advancements in DNA led authorities to Jon K Miller's rural Minnesota assisted living facility door. When confronted with evidence, he confessed.  

 

With the help of Joli Truelson’s family, this series digs deep into the life and criminal history of Jon K Miller, attempting to answer the question: Did he murder Joli Truelson? 

 

Jon K Miller has been questioned in Joli Truelson’s murder investigation, but has not been charged with any crimes related to her death. 

 

The Vault is a Forum Communications podcast. 

 

This episode is hosted by investigative reporter Trisha Taurinksas. 

 

For more information on this case, visit https://www.inforum.com/people/joli-truelson

 

How a 'cult' took hold in the small town of Neche, North Dakota   In the summer of 2024, reporters C.S. Hagen and Drew Trafton presented a reporting series and two-part documentary highlighting the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, a Christian sect that began in the U.K. in the 1800s and has since branched out globally. The PBCC also has historic ties to the small town of Neche, North Dakota.   Former members report that the church is responsible for a wide range of misconduct, from money laundering schemes to complicity with sexual assault.    For this first in a three-part audio series, C.S. and Drew sit down with Trisha Taurinskas to discuss their reporting and give listeners a glimpse inside the church, what it believes and the accusations of its former members.

A former 'cult' member describes sexual assault and forced separation from family   According to former members, the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has operated for years in the small town of Neche, North Dakota, using fear and the separation from family to keep its members in line.   In this episode, the second in a three-part audio series, we hear from a former PBCC member who experienced numerous incidents of sexual assault as a young girl and was shunned from her community and family when she made the choice to leave the church as an adult. Also, reporters Drew Trafton and C.S. Hagen discuss the methods of control the church uses.

A helping hand to former Plymouth Brethren members   In the last of this three-part audio series, host Trisha Taurinskas interviews Carman Drever, a former member of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and outspoken critic of the church.   Drever shares her experiences within the church and goes into detail about the PBCC's control over its members, who face separation from their family if they step out of line. Since leaving the PBCC, Drever has devoted her energy to providing information and resources to other former cult members who often have no other place to turn.

This episode provides the full hour-long interview with Timothy Crosby, the main suspect in the disappearance of Belinda Van Lith. The in-person interview is conducted by Forum reporter Trisha Taurinskas at the secure Moose Lake Sex Offender Program facility in January 2024. 

 

Trisha Taurinskas can be reached at ttaurinskas@forumcomm.com

 

Questions related to this interview can be directed to Trisha -- or left as a review in Apple Podcasts.

 

You can find all of our work on this case at . There, you’ll discover our print stories that accompany every podcast episode. Those stories include images from the casefile, and photos of Belinda, Timothy Crosby and others mentioned in this story. You can also visit our Facebook Group,  to discuss the case with others who are listening or reading the series.