JACKSON, Mo. (WSIL) -- A woman was sentenced to 15 years behind bars in connection to the death of a southeast Missouri woman in May of 2022.
According to online court records, Teresa Baumgartner was sentenced in Cape Girardeau County on June 9, to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after earlier pleading guilty to Kidnapping. She was also sentenced on a Tampering with Physical Evidence in Felony Prosecution for four years, to run concurrent with the kidnapping sentence.
Baumgartner earlier pleaded guilty to both the Kidnapping and Tampering with Physical Evidence in Felony Prosecution charges on April 9, 2025.
Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office reported in 2022, Jessi Wilfong was reported missing by her mother on May 25, 2022. After a lengthy investigation, her body was found in a recently dug grave inside a barn.
A second person was also charged in the death of Jessi Wilfong. On January 9, 2025, Lawrence Schanda was found guilty of 1st Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action and Tampering with Physical Evidence in Felony Possession. He was sentenced to life without parole for the murder, 15 years for the Armed Criminal Action and seven years for the Tampering with Physical Evidence in Felony Prosecution.
