Abandoned baby’s body was brought home by dog in 1985, cops say. Now mom pleads guilty
A newborn baby died after she was abandoned outside in freezing conditions nearly four decades ago, Maine police said. Now, her mother has pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges.
The newborn’s body was discovered when it was picked up by a dog and carried to its owner’s home in Frenchville, a small town on the U.S.-Canada border, in December 1985, according to a news release from Maine State Police.
Police determined the dog had found the newborn, referred to as Baby Jane Doe, in a nearby gravel pit where her mother had given birth and abandoned her in the cold, police said.
Police couldn’t identify the infant’s mother, and the case went unsolved for decades.
After “countless” hours of chasing leads, and thanks to advancements in DNA technology, investigators were eventually able to identify Baby Jane Doe’s mother as Lee Ann Daigle, who was living over 400 miles away in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Daigle, 59, was arrested at her home June 13 and taken to Maine, where she was charged with murder, according to previous reporting from McClatchy News.
She pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter April 6, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Before her plea was accepted, an assistant attorney general recited the evidence of the decades-old case, according to the Bangor Daily News.
“Armand Pelletier discovered the naked, bloody body of a baby girl on the lawn of his home located on the Bouchard Road in Frenchville,” the assistant attorney general stated, adding the baby was partially frozen and a portion of its umbilical cord was still attached, per the outlet.
“It was an emotional, difficult day,” Daigle’s attorney said in a statement, according to the Portland Press Herald. “She is remorseful for what happened 37 years ago. It was difficult for her to hear the details of that night and morning as recited in the prosecution version. (Daigle) has always believed the baby was stillborn and has taken responsibility, through the manslaughter plea, for not seeking help or medical treatment at the time.”
Her sentencing is scheduled for June 20, and she faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, according to the Portland Press Herald.
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