She vanished and was later discovered stuck in a pipe — now, nearly four decades later, here’s who “Baby Jessica” has become.

Jessica’s gentleness, by all accounts, is one of her defining qualities.

Friends describe her as warm, nurturing, and soft-spoken. Coworkers say she has a calming presence, especially around children. Her husband Danny has said that what he admires most about her is her ability to make others feel safe — a beautiful irony, considering she once needed so desperately to be saved.

When her daughter Sheyenne was young, teachers often brought up Jessica’s story — sometimes without warning. One elementary school teacher showed the class a documentary about Baby Jessica before realizing that Jessica’s daughter was sitting right there.

Other kids didn’t understand.

But Sheyenne did.

She grew up knowing her mother was strong beyond measure — even if that strength began long before she could understand it.

And Jessica herself always downplayed her fame at home. She wanted her children to know her as their mother, not as a historical headline.

In her heart, she wasn’t “Baby Jessica.”

She was simply Mom.

A Grandmother With a Gentle Touch

Today, Jessica embraces another role she treasures deeply: grandmother.

Her grandchildren, Emiliano and Nolan, bring her joy in a way few things can. She has said that watching them grow reminds her how precious — and fragile — life is.

Perhaps because she once came so close to losing hers.

When she holds them, she often thinks of the rescuers who held her in their arms in 1987 — covered in dirt, crying, confused, but alive.

Sometimes life comes full circle in quiet ways, and Jessica embodies that truth.Continue reading…