BELLECHESTER, Minn. – A rural woman was arrested for the deaths of two newborn babies whose bodies were disposed of in the Mississippi River in 1999 and 2003. Jennifer Lynn Matter, 50, was taken into custody at home at 6:38 a.m., Sheriff Marty Kelly said. Matters had been linked to the babies by new genetic technology that identified her as the mother, the sheriff said. Matter was jailed in Red Wing on two counts of second-degree murder, one charge with intent to kill and one without intent. The deaths:
> Baby boy. The body was discovered in Lake Pepin at Methodist Campus Beach in Frontenac, on December 7, 2003. The child had been in the water one or two days, Matter was 30 at the time.
> Baby girl. The body was found on November 4, 1999, in the lower boat harbor of the Mississippi River near Red Wing. Matter as 33 at the time.
Matters profile
When arrested, Lynn Matter was living un Belvidere Township, population 460. The township’s largest village is Bellechester. The village is 15 from where the baby boy’s body was found and 18 mikes from where the baby girl’s body was found..
Verbatim
Sheriff Kelly at a news conference: “The tenacity of several investigators in our office to obtain justice for these babies and the perseverance by our community who assisted us in finding answers have led us here today. We pray today’s arrest and charges provide some closure to all of those effected.”
Rapid DNA
Sheriff Kelly said the babies’ parentage was established through a new genetic genealogy technique called Rapid DNA. Based on leads, Goodhue County investigators obtained a court order to obtain a DNA sample from Matter. Then forensic scientists at the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed the matches.