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Iowa DCI: DNA evidence identifies parents in 1996 newborn death

Iowa DCI has identified the parents of "Baby Jane Lincoln", who was discovered in a garbage bag in a barn off Highway 30 near Lisbon, Iowa, on Nov. 10, 1996.

LISBON, Iowa — New DNA evidence has identified the parents of a newborn girl who was found dead at a rural farmstead back in 1996, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation announced on Saturday. 

Iowa DCI identified 43-year-olds Luke Dean Wilson and Samantha Light Hope as the parents of "Baby Jane Lincoln", who was discovered in a garbage bag in a barn off Highway 30 near Lisbon, Iowa, on Nov. 10, 1996. 

That night, an unidentified caller reported the discovery of a baby in a barn. The Cedar County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation have continued the investigation for the past 30 years, but could never identified the infant or her parents. 

The infant's cause of death was “probable exposure”, but the manner of death was “undetermined.” 

Wilson and Hope would have been 15 or 16 at the time of the baby's birth and death. 

If you have any information about the case, contact the Iowa DCI Missing Person Information Clearinghouse at (515) 725-6036 or the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office. 

Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest. 

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