The parents of a deceased newborn from 1996 were recently identified, thanks to advances in DNA technology.
According to special agent in charge Joe Lestinga with the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner performed an autopsy of Baby Jane Lincoln when the baby was discovered, but the parents were never identified at the time. The cause of death for the infant was ruled as “possible exposure” and the manner of death to be “undetermined.” Baby Jane Lincoln was named thusly in reognition of the Lincoln Highway, where she was found not far from.
Recent advances in DNA testing have identified the parents of Baby Jane as Luke Dean Wilson (43 years old) and Samantha Light Hope (43 years old).
The circumstances surrounding the death of Baby Jane remain under investigation, and the public is encouraged to contact the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office should they possess any information that may assist in the investigation.
On Nov. 10, 1996, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a deceased newborn at a rural farmstead at 14 Highway 30 near Lisbon (just acrss the line between Linn County and Cedar County). The caller reported the body of a newborn female had been found in a garbage bag in the barn. Law enforcement responded to the scene and located a deceased newborn female as reported. After an exhaustive investigation, the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) were unable to identify the infant, her parents, or the circumstances surrounding her death.
The infant, according to reporting from the Mount Vernon Lisbon Sun in the Nov. 14, 1996 issue, was buried at New Horizon Care Cemetery, north of Tipton, with Fry Funeral Home helping with the arrangement, and donations from the community helping to pay for the burial and headstone for the child. The case went cold in subsequent months.
The public is encouraged to contact the Iowa DCI Missing Person Information Clearinghouse at 515-725-6036 if they have any information related to any missing person or unidentified human remains investigation.
No further information will be released at this time.