Woman pleads guilty to manslaughter for leaving baby in icy gravel pit to die in 1985

HOULTON, Maine (TCD) -- A 59-year-old woman pleaded guilty this week to leaving her newborn baby in a gravel pit in below-freezing temperatures 37 years ago.

Bangor Daily News reports Lee Ann Daigle entered the plea for criminal negligence manslaughter in Houlton Superior Court on Thursday, April 6, in connection with the death of her daughter, who was known only as Baby Jane Doe.

In the press release announcing Daigle’s arrest, Maine State Police said a dog discovered Baby Jane Doe’s body in 1985 and carried her "less than 700 feet" to its owner’s home. Detectives tracked the dog’s path and found where the little girl had been left behind in the pit.

Maine State Police said the girl died after a woman "drove into a gravel pit in Frenchville, got out of her vehicle, and proceeded to give birth." The infant died from exposure to the elements.

Advancements in DNA technology helped detectives identify Daigle as the child’s mother. She was arrested in June 2022 in Lowell, Massachusetts, for murder.

According to the Bangor Daily News, part of Baby Jane Doe’s umbilical cord was still attached. She was naked and her body had been frozen in some parts. Detectives also discovered blood and placenta in tire tracks nearby and a trail of blood leading to some plants.

Police reportedly located the child’s father but did not publicly name him. Daigle initially told Maine State Police investigators she never had a baby in Maine, but she later admitted to giving birth. She said she was only 21 years old and her child was likely the result of a one-night stand.

Daigle reportedly said she never even checked to see if she gave birth to a boy or a girl.

She’s currently under house arrest and will be sentenced at a later date.

MORE:

• Woman pleads guilty to manslaughter in 1985 death of abandoned newborn - Bangor Daily News
• Woman arrested 36 years after dog finds newborn dead in the snow and carries her body home, 6/14/2022 - TCD
• Maine State Police Make Arrest in 36-year-old Aroostook County Homicide Case, 6/15/2022 - Maine State Police