In 1992, investigators conducted DNA blood typing on a murdered infant found floating in a trash bag along the banks of the Mississippi River. It was the first time such a technique was used in the state of Illinois. At that time, it’s doubtful the Moline (Ohio) Police dreamed it would lead to an arrest nearly 30 years later—but that’s exactly what happened thanks to DNA technology, genetic genealogy and a police department that never gave up.
On April 11, 1992, a man walking his dog spotted a trash bag floating along the banks of the Mississippi River. Inside was a dead female infant. A subsequent autopsy revealed a full term, healthy baby girl whose cause of death was asphyxiation and hypothermia. The police department named the baby “Baby April” and she was buried in a nearby cemetery as the investigation continued—and then went cold.
Continuing to work on the case through the years, Moline Police eventually obtained a DNA profile of the child’s mother and, on Dec. 15, 2014, a murder charge against “female contributor to human DNA profile P62-001627 Exhibit3B2” was filed and entered into a statewide database.
In November 2019, Moline Police Chief Darren Gault submitted a budget request for expanded funding for cold case investigations, which was unanimously approved. The extra funding allowed investigators to submit a genetic DNA profile for the Baby April case to Parabon Nanolabs.
Three months later, Parabon returned a Snapshot DNA report, giving investigators new leads in the case. Additional DNA analysis by Parabon, including a genetic genealogy report, produced even further leads for Moline Police. Then, in November 2020, they finally got the break they had been looking for.
One of Parabon’s reports provided genetic matches, a set of possible ancestors and a final list of leads. With some more traditional police work, investigators tracked down a suspect in less than one month—47-year-old Angela Renee Siebke.
On Dec. 17, 2020, when the forensic lab confirmed Siebke’s DNA matched that of the female contributor to human DNA profile P62-001627 Exhibit3B2, she was arrested and charged with first degree murder.
“Police investigators are often the voice for the victims in homicides and today have spoken for Baby April,” said Gault. “In this relentless pursuit of justice, we have provided closure to this 27-year-old- mystery. The Moline Police Department will continue to leverage new technology and opportunities to bring justice to victims and families seeking answers to these tragic events.”
Photo: Mugshot of Angela R. Siebke. Credit: Moline Police