This morning, just before 9:30 a.m., Baby River was placed in his final resting place at Holy Cross Cemetery in Caledonia. The funeral, of sorts, was attended by local clergy, law enforcement, community members, and the Kenosha County Medical Examiner and her staff. Three Christian faiths had representatives to wish Baby River peace and eternal life, moments after being placed in a grave, sadly small for anyone to accept. Noticeably missing, was Baby River’s mother Kaye Truesdell-Pederson, who happens to be the suspect in River’s homicide. She was sent many notices in the mail, but chose not to be present.

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Hall carried Baby River from the Medical Examiner’s vehicle and placed him inside of the grave. The grave site and internment was provided free of charge by Racine Catholic Cemeteries.  General Manager Mick Moore told KCE about his decision to provide a free space for Baby River, saying “This is a Catholic cemetery, and it’s our faith. We have to give the least of God’s children a final resting spot. We would never turn our back on that.” Baby River, unfortunately has been at the Medical Examiner’s Office in a freezer for the last 8 years.

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Leading the Catholic service today, was Deacon Eric Sewell of St. Sebastian and St. Lucy’s churches:

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“Dear friends. In the face of death, all human wisdom fails. Yet the Lord teaches us, by the three days he spent in the tomb, that death has no hold over us. Christ has conquered death. His dying and rising have redeemed us. Even our sorrows for the loss of this child, we believe that one short sleep past, he shall wake eternally. The Lord speaks to us now of hope for this child, and his words of consolation. Beloved, we are God’s children now. What we shall be has not been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed, we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is…

Baby River lived a short and tragic life with us. Yet after 35 years, he is not forgotten, as we are gathered here in his remembrance…

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That’s why all of us thank the men and women of the Kenosha Sheriff’s Department and the [Medical Examiner’s Office.] We especially thank the detectives who worked on his case for the past 35 years. Your extraordinary efforts confirm that baby’s River’s life was valuable, that it was important as a child of God. He was more than trash found in a Shopko bag on our bridge, but an eternal shining light of God’s goodness.

I also thank the Racine Catholic Cemeteries for the generosity of fulfilling their mission and supplying a final resting spot for baby River. God bless you for your work. Let us not be afraid to turn to baby River for help when we face our own lives, challenges, and sorrows.”

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After the Catholic ceremony concluded, Pastor Curtis McMiller of Heritage Baptist Church said the following words.

“As we think of the little one here this morning, as we more or less gather around the remains of the child, the Bible indicates that as we know the Lord, God makes this statement concerning one of his prophets in the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah. God said to Jeremiah, ‘before I formed thee in the belly of the womb, I knew thee. Before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee.‘

God obviously, as he had a plan for Jeremiah, also has a plan for all of us that are here today. In addition to this, the Bible indicates that the life of a child is very precious in the sight of God. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, when the time came for a little one to approach him, the Lord Jesus Christ said, suffer the little children and forbid them not to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven...

And like all of us that’s here today, even though we did not have the opportunity to see this little one grow up and become a full-fledged adult, not knowing what contribution he would have provided for society, the day will come when we will see him on the other side. And we thank the Lord that we have that blessed assurance of knowing that particularly if we know Christ as Savior.

And so as we look upon this homegoing service of this little one, let us focus in on knowing that while he was yet young and life taken at an early age, God specifically has his eye on all of us. And God opens the door for all of us to make the choice to live for God. And God also has a plan, even in death, to use the death so that he might get glory out of it. In closing, on my part of this ceremony, the Apostle Paul again says to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord. And we thank the Lord that on that day in which we stand before God, we’ll see this little one again.”

And finally, Reverend James “Jim” Roemke of Messiah Lutheran Church spoke:

“Psalm 139. ‘For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them. The days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.’

The Lord knew this child. And our Lord Jesus Christ says about the little children. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my father who is in heaven. The Lord knew this child and loved this child. Which cannot be said about those who took this child’s life. The angels of this child see the face of the father who is in heaven. The angels of this child see who took this child’s life. And I thank you in law enforcement who have worked hard. I pray that God would bring justice for this child here on earth. He would turn those who did this terrible thing in repentance. That they may be forgiven of their sins before the final judgment.

I pray that God would give this child and all children and all who are taken by violence rest in peace. And that his justice would always be done. For his justice is good and right. And his mercy is steadfast and sure. His love endures forever. And so we commend baby River into his loving care. Trusting that God will work for the good in all things for those who love him and have been called according to his purposes. And may his justice be done.”

Roemke told KCE later, “Every child should have a mother’s love and a father’s protection. River had neither. But he did have the love and protection of our heavenly Father and his angels always see the face of our Father in heaven.”

Deacon Sewell then concluded:

“Tender shepherd of the flock. Baby River now lies cradled in your love. Soothe the hearts of all of us here. And bring peace to our lives. Enlighten our faith. Give hope to our hearts. Loving God grant mercy to your entire family in this time of suffering. Comfort us with the hope that Baby River lives with you. And your son Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit forever and ever.”

After the ceremony. Attendees placed roses on Baby River’s casket. Next, many of those present filled in the grave of Baby River.

The Story

On Thursday, November 9, 1989, a couple of trappers made a grizzly discovery under the Highway N (38th St) bridge over the Des Plaines River in Paris. It was a very cold fall day and it was 39 degrees outside. Wrapped in towels and stuffed into a Shopko plastic bag, an infant baby, formerly named Baby John Doe, was discovered and was clearly deceased. Pathologist John G. Sanson, M.D., the County’s Medical Examiner at the time, estimated that the baby boy was born 5-12 days prior to his discovery.

Over the next 35 years, investigators with the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department would continue to search for the perpetrator of what the Medical Examiner, Dr. Sanson ruled was a homicide. An autopsy showed that Baby John Doe was born a healthy little boy. He lived for some time. The Doctor that performed the autopsy said the Baby John Doe’s lungs showed evidence of such. Dr. Sanson wrote in the autopsy report that there was evidence that suggested that the baby was not stillborn.

Eventually, River’s body was exhumed in 2016 and DNA from River confirmed that he was the son of Kaye Truesdell-Pederson of Mukwonago. The Kenosha and Racine DAs both refused to charge the mother seemingly due to politics. Truesdell-Pederson remains the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department’s #1 and only suspect.

See below for more photos and a video of the ceremony.