Crime, Law and Justice

Red Wing woman sentenced to 27 years in 2003 death of infant son

A grave at Oakwood Cemetery in Red Wing, Minn.
A grave at Oakwood Cemetery in Red Wing, Minn., for three newborn babies found dead in the Mississippi River in Goodhue County in 1999, 2003 and 2007.
Tim Nelson | MPR News

A judge in southeastern Minnesota on Friday gave a 27-year sentence to a Red Wing woman who pleaded guilty in the 2003 death of her infant son.

Four teens found the baby's body on an isolated beach near Lake Pepin on Dec. 7, 2003.

In January, Jennifer Lynn Matter, 50, admitted that she abandoned the boy, whom community members named Corey, in freezing weather without clothing or a blanket.

Goodhue County prosecutors charged Matter last year after forensic genealogists used Corey's DNA to track down relatives.

Authorities alleged in the criminal complaint that Matter is also the mother of Jamie, an infant girl found dead in the Mississippi River in 1999, but prosecutors did not file charges in Jamie's death.

Judge Douglas Bayley sentenced Matter in line with a plea agreement. She's required to serve 18 years of the sentence in prison before she's eligible for supervised release.