Wisconsin mom charged 13 years after her daughter 'Baby Theresa' was found dead in trash bag

JUNEAU, Wis. (TCD) -- Law enforcement officials announced Friday, March 18, that they resolved a 13-year-old cold case involving a newborn girl found dead in a trash bag.

The Dodge County Sheriff and Dodge County Medical Examiner released a joint statement announcing the resolution surrounding the "Baby Theresa" case. The newborn was discovered April 29, 2009, on Lone Road in the town of Theresa. She was reportedly a full-term baby and weighed 8 pounds. The statement says she "appeared healthy," but officials conducted tests to determine her cause of death.

The Dodge County Medical Examiner determined in an autopsy that Baby Theresa was not murdered but rather she died of "fetal demise," which means the child "may have died prior to, or during birth."

According to the statement, in 2014, the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office filed charges against the mother in order to prevent the statute of limitations from running out. In 2021, officials identified Baby Theresa’s mother as Karin Luttinen.

The Dodge County District Attorney’s Office worked with the Sheriff’s Office and determined the "appropriate charge" for Luttinen is concealing the death of a child. It is punishable by up to $10,000 or 3.5 years of imprisonment.

According to WITI-TV, Luttinen’s bond is set at $2,500 cash.

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