Thirty years ago, Gail Ritchey, a young woman from a conservative Christian community in rural Ohio, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a devoted mother of three, her quiet suburban life shatters when DNA evidence links her to the infamous cold case of “Geauga’s Child.” Gail is arrested for murder and vilified in the media as authorities dismiss her claim that the baby was stillborn. Facing a possible life sentence, Gail and her family must confront religious stigma, community judgment, and long-buried shame in the fight for her freedom. Baby Doe looks beyond the headlines to reveal the human complexity of Gail’s case, exploring how women’s health, justice, and powerful outside forces shape stories like hers.

Baby Doe is a 2022 Critical Issues Fund grantee