"Baby Doe" Film Screening & Q&A with Director
University of Richmond, VA 23173
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.” Arrested for murder and vilified in the media, 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.
Directed by Jessica Earnshaw (Jacinta), 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.
Hosted by the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Gender Studies Program, and the School of Arts & Sciences.
- 5 p.m. Reception, Jepson Hall Faculty Lounge.
- 6:30 p.m. Film Screening Baby Doe (100 minutes), Jepson 118
- Q&A with Director Jessa Earnshaw immediately following the film screening.
