Baby Found Dead in Trash Can: 37 Years Later, Mother of Child Identified and Arrested

La police vers la poubelle où a été retrouvé l'enfant mort en 1987 à Riverside. Facebook Riverside Police Department

In 1987, a baby was found dead in a dumpster in California, United States. 37 years later, the child's mother was identified, arrested and charged with murder.

The end of a mystery. On October 13, 1987, a baby was discovered in a dumpster in Riverside, California. Police believe the child had been abandoned just after being born; it was a little girl. But after several decades, the investigation was reopened, DNA analyses were carried out, which allowed the authorities to identify the mother, reports ABC.

< h2 class="txt-int">Found 37 years later

The death of the little girl was classified as a homicide by the police, but the person who abandoned the child was unknown. But in 2020, the investigation was reopened and investigators carried out tests in laboratories. Thanks to new technologies, the case takes a whole new turn, since the baby's parents are identified.

The mother's name is Melissa Jean Allen Avila, she is 55 years old, and was 19 at the time of the events. “Detectives have no reason to believe the baby's father has any criminal responsibility in the murder,”, Riverside police said.

The mother of this little girl found dead 37 years ago would therefore be the main suspect in this investigation but the motive is not known. The fifty-year-old was arrested in North Carolina and was transferred to Riverside, California and was charged with murder on August 5, the American media details.

Since 2001, a parent has been able to leave their baby 3 days old or younger in a fire station at a hospital, which has not been the case. "If the baby has not been abused or neglected, the person can hand it over without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment", police in the California city said. Melissa Jean Allen Avila will appear in court on September 9.