The Vault

In the third and final part of this series, we explore what happened to the mountain of evidence in the 1984 cold case murder of Kelly Jean Robinson -- and we discuss what could come next in law enforcement's investiation into Kelly's death.  Kelly's body was found floating in a rural Minnesota gravel pit pond, roughly 30 miles from her home in Sioux Falls. Her case remains unsolved.  If anyone has any information on the murder of Kelly Jean Robinson, please contact the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 1-877-996-6222.  A special thank you to Jean Monthei for her on-the-ground assistance in this series.  If you're looking for a way to support the work we do at the vault, leave a 5 star rating or review on apple podcasts. Five star ratings increase search visibility, which means more coverage for the cases we cover.  The Vault is written, edited and produced by Forum News Service investigative reporter Trisha Taurinskas.  For more information on the murder case of Kelly Jean Robinson, visit https://www.inforum.com/people/kelly-robinson.     

In part 2 of this series, the team at The Vault tries to track down a man previously considered a potential suspect in the 1984 murder of Kelly Jean Robinson. In the process, they run across a new potential person of interest: a convicted murderer who preyed on South Dakota workers in the 1980s. He was a free man in 1984 -- and he was known to frequent The Frontier Bar, where Kelly Robinson was last seen leaving.  For images from court documents and photos of kelly, visit: https://www.inforum.com/people/kelly-robinson This episode is written and produced by Trisha Taurinskas.  A special thank you to Jean Monthei for her on-the-ground assistance in this series. 

Forty years after a 22-year-old woman was found floating in gravel pit pond in rural Minnesota, a man who was adopted an infant took two at-home DNA tests. The results led him to the discovery that his biological mom was Kelly Jean Robinson, the woman found dead in the pond. She had been murdered, and her case had gone cold.  In coordination with Kelly's family, the team at The Vault obtained the investigative file, which included never-before-released information. New suspects emerged. Details about her autopsy were exposed. And, for the first time, Kelly's family learned a very critical fact in this case: a semen sample, obtained through the autopsy, was taken into evidence. The real question now is, where did it go?  To see images of Kelly, visit: https://www.inforum.com/people/kelly-robinson The Vault is written and hosted by Forum News Service reporter Trisha Taurinskas. 

In this episode, Trisha Taurinskas takes listeners behind the scenes of the investigative process behind the The Vault's most recent web series, "Minnesota Vice," through an interview with the author: Jeremy Fugleberg.  The series focuses on the story of Casey Ramirez, a drug smuggler who tried to hide out while living large in a little Midwest town. It examines how the feds caught up with him, and what happens to a small town's soul when it decides it won't ask too many questions.  To access to the full series, visit https://www.inforum.com/minnesota-vice

The arrest of a well-known Winona resident in the 2011 cold case death of a newborn baby found floating in the Mississippi River stunned the community.    Jennifer Baechle is a pillar in the local arts and music scene. She's a wife and mother of two, who volunteers with nonprofits and cooks for church fundraisers, including one benefiting the Winona Immigration Network. She's an English instructor at Winona State University, her alma mater.    Forensic geneology led investigators to Baechle's door, with concrete DNA evidence indicating Baechle is the mother. Yet the community is still left with one big question: Why did she wrap her baby in a tote bag and send her down the Mississippi River?    In this episode, we speak with John Molseed, a Rochester Post Bulletin reporter who has been covering the story -- and has insight into the small city's reaction to it all.    Press conference audio was provided by the Rochester Post Bulletin, a Forum Commnications newspaper.  If you have any questions or comments, email Trisha Taurinskas at [email protected].