Lee Ann Daigle was arrested at her home in Lowell, Massachusetts, for the 1985 death of her baby. She has been charged with one count of murder.
The baby that Daigle gave birth to was found in December 1985 by a dog, who dug up her body from a gravel pit. The dog then carried the baby's body back home, and its owners presumably notified authorities.
At the time, police could only deduce where the child was born but not who the mother was. But authorities never gave up on the case and have spent the last decades pursuing leads that might offer insight into what happened.
The press release explains, "Baby Jane Doe was first discovered after a dog found the newborn and carried her less than 700 feet to his owner’s home. State Police Detectives were able to track the dog’s path back to the location where the investigation showed Baby Jane Doe was born and then abandoned in below zero temperatures at a gravel pit in Frenchville."
It continues, "This case was the culmination of decades worth of investigative work from dozens of now retired and current detectives who never gave up finding answers and justice for Baby Jane Doe. Over the past two years or so, Detective Jay Pelletier of the State Police Unsolved Homicide Unit and also from Aroostook County has headed up this investigation. Det. Pelletier worked alongside of Detective Chad Lindsey of Major Crimes Unit North which is out of Bangor and Houlton and covers Aroostook County. Detectives Pelletier and Lindsay have chased every lead and spent countless hours working and following new leads that helped identify Baby Jane Doe’s mother."
Ultimately, advances in DNA technology helped police identify the baby's birth mother. Authorities explain in the press release, "In collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office, Daigle was indicted by an Aroostook County Grand Jury on one count of murder and an arrest warrant was issued. Daigle was arrested outside her home without incident on June 13, 2022, waived extradition, and was brought to Maine Monday morning."
Daigle made her first court appearance on June 13, 2022. She is currently being held in prison without bond, and her public defender has not yet offered a comment on Daigle's behalf.
