Cold Case Arrest: Baby Angel's Story
The Vault
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...
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Joli Truelson: Connecting the Dots | PART 5
The Vault
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 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.
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Joli Truelson: Connecting the Dots | PART 4
The Vault
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...
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Joli Truelson: Connecting the Dots | PART 3
The Vault
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...
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Joli Truelson: Connecting the Dots | PART 2
The Vault
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,...
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Joli Truelson: Connecting the Dots | PART 1
The Vault
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....
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Is There a Cult in North Dakota? PART 1
The Vault
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...
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Is There a Cult in North Dakota? PART 2
The Vault
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...
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Is There a Cult in North Dakota? PART 3
The Vault
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.
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BONUS EPISODE: The Disappearance of Belinda Van Lith
The Vault
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 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...
info_outlineDonald Blom.
His name creeped into Minnesota households through newscasts when he was arrested and charged for the abduction and murder of 19-year-old Katie Poirer in 1999. Find out why investigators consider him a person of interest in the 1993 stabbing and murder of 19-year-old Holly Spangler -- and how new DNA technology could determine if Donald Blom was, in fact, involved.
Written, narrated and produced by Trisha Taurinskas
You can find the full story here: https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/a-minnesota-detectives-final-mission-prove-who-killed-holly-spangler