Stearns County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday announced the closure of a cold case from 1980 in which a deceased infant was found near a roadway.

The closure is due to authorities finding the infant’s parents. The probable mother had died and wasn’t able to be interviewed and the father denied knowing that the baby existed.

Authorities weren’t able to prove that a crime had caused the infant’s death.

The Sheriff’s Office said it will provide an update when the full case file is ready for release. The details that were released on the case on Thursday are as follows:

1980

Stearns County deputies were called to what is now 250th Street west of County Road 136 in St. Augusta on a report of a deceased infant on April 3, 1980. Baby Jane Doe was found five feet from the roadway.

An autopsy showed that she was full-term, live-born infant with no obvious cause of death, authorities said.

The baby was buried in Calvary Cemetery in St. Cloud.

2020

The Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension examined DNA taken from baby Jane Doe during her original autopsy and created a DNA profile, according to authorities.

Authorities then contacted Parabon NanoLabs to help identify the infant’s parents.

2021

Parabon NanoLabs told authorities that they had found the infant’s potential maternal grandparents.

Authorities studied DNA taken from Jane Doe’s possible mother during an autopsy. The BCA determined that there is strong evidence that the deceased woman was the infant’s mother.

2024

Parabon NanoLabs provided authorities with three possible fathers for the infant, authorities said.

The Sheriff’s Office collected DNA from one of the men, and the BCA determined that there is strong evidence that the man was the infant’s father.

In May and June, investigators interviewed the man, who cooperated in the collection of his DNA. He denied knowing about baby Jane Doe, according to authorities.

The Sheriff’s Office said that after establishing the infant’s parents and conducting the necessary interviews, it hasn’t been able to prove that anyone caused the death of the infant. Not being able to interview the infant’s mother contributed to this.

Authorities therefore made the decision to close the case.

The Sheriff’s Office included the following statement:

“The conclusion of this decades-long case was a true team effort by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division. This, along with the help and input from the BCA Forensic Lab, and the use of current DNA science, assisted in this case coming to a resolution. The sheriff’s office also extends it thanks to past investigators who worked on this case off and on over the years trying to bring this case to a close. It is important for the public to know a case like this, often referred to as a “cold case,” is not forgotten and our office tirelessly works on these cases and continues to follow-up on tips and the incorporation of technological and science advancements to draw these cases to a final resolution.”