A woman has been arrested in connection with a 37-year-old unsolved case in which a newborn baby was found dead in a trash can in California, police said.
Melissa Jean Allen Avila, now 55, was taken into custody Friday on a murder charge and was being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $1.1 million bail, according to Riverside police.
Avila is accused of abandoning his daughter, who was 19 years old at the time, in a trash can behind a store in the 5400 block of La Sierra Avenue in Riverside, California, in October 1987, after she died.
Police said a man looking through recycled items discovered the baby.
The newborn’s death was ruled a homicide by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office. Police Station Homicide detectives investigated every lead but were unable to identify a suspect at the time.
But the case was reopened in 2020, and a DNA sample determined that Avila was the baby’s mother. Investigators have no reason to believe the baby’s father bears any criminal responsibility for the child’s murder.
Avila was eventually found to be living in Shelby, North Carolina, where he was taken into custody and extradited to California.
“Thanks to the tireless work of our investigators and partners, the victim has been identified and this case is now closed,” Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzales said in a statement. “We are committed to seeking justice for the homicide victim and providing closure for her family.”
Avila’s arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 9.
