John Jefferson
Inset: Melisssa Jean Allen Avila. Background: The scene where cops located a newborn girl in 1987 (Riverside Police Department)
Cops in California arrested a woman who allegedly gave birth to a baby girl, murdered her and ditched the newborn in a dumpster back in 1987.
According to the Riverside Police Department, a man was rummaging through the dumpster behind a business in the 5400 block of La Sierra Avenue on Oct. 13, 1987, when he found the newborn girl. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, though cops did not publicly release how the baby was killed. Detectives who originally worked the case were never able to identify a suspect.
Cops reopened the case back in 2020 and worked with the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Team. They identified the mother, 55-year-old Melisssa Jean Allen Avila, through DNA, the agency said. She was 19 at the time of the girl’s birth. Local police and the U.S. Marshals Office tracked Avila to Shelby, North Carolina, more than 2,300 miles away from Riverside.
‘Closer to securing justice:’ Mother charged with manslaughter more than 2 decades after abandoning newborn girl, AG says
On Aug. 5, Avila was extradited back to California to face a murder charge. She’s at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility where she remains on $1.1 million bail.
“Thanks to the persistent efforts of our investigators and partners, this victim now has an identity, bringing resolution to the case,” Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said in a statement. “We will remain dedicated to seeking justice for homicide victims and ensuring their families find closure.”
Authorities don’t believe the girl’s father had any culpability in the murder. If the girl were alive today, she’d be 36 years old.
Gonzalez credited the nonprofit Season of Justice, which obtains grants to help agencies fund advanced DNA analysis. He said Othram, Inc., a private lab that specializes in DNA technology, conducted the analysis that led to the Avila’s arrest.
California’s “Safe Arms for Newborns” law, established in 2001, allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially surrender a newborn, three-days-old or younger, to any hospital emergency room or fire station without reprisal, as long as the newborn is not abused. Other states call it the Safe Haven Law.
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