Woman charged with dumping newborn baby’s remains in California landfill nearly 40 years ago

The 55-year-old woman was extradited to California after police used DNA evidence to identify her as the mother of a baby abandoned in a dumpster in 1987.

A California cold case investigation team has arrested and charged a woman who allegedly disposed of the remains of her newborn baby in a dumpster nearly 40 years ago.

On Thursday, August 8, the Riverside Police Department, located east of Los Angeles, announced in a press release that the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Team had found a suspect in a decades-old case using DNA.

Melissa Jean Allen Avila, 55, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of her son, according to jail records.

According to police, authorities discovered the girl’s body on Oct. 13, 1987, after a man searching through dumpsters behind a business found her remains.

At the time, the Riverside County coroner’s office ruled the baby’s death a homicide, but the case eventually went cold because detectives never found any further evidence.

“Riverside Police Homicide Detectives worked diligently on this case, but all leads were exhausted and no suspects were identified,” police wrote in the news release.

In 2020, the department formed a Homicide Cold Case Unit and reopened the case, eventually using DNA evidence with the help of the nonprofit Season of Justice to identify Avila as the boy’s mother, the statement added.

According to the press release, Season of Justice provides financial assistance through grants to law enforcement and families seeking to solve cold cases through DNA and genealogy.

Avila would have been 19 at the time of her daughter’s death, and police said “detectives have no reason to believe the baby’s father had any criminal culpability in the killing.” No further details have been released about the cause of death.

Avila was located in Shelby, North Carolina, police said, and local authorities worked with U.S. Marshals to extradite her to Riverside County. According to jail records, she was arrested Monday, Aug. 5 at 11:30 a.m. and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, California.

Police said she is being held on $1.1 million bail.

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The Riverside Police Department also said California enacted the Safe Arms for Newborns Act (or Safely Surrendered Babies Act) in 2001. The law states that parents of newborns, three days old or younger, can be delivered to any hospital emergency room or fire station without prosecution.

Information about Safely Surrender Baby site locations and more can be found on the California Department of Social Services website.

“Thanks to the ongoing efforts of our investigators and partners, this victim now has an identity, allowing the case to be solved,” Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said in the news release. “We will remain dedicated to seeking justice for homicide victims and ensuring their families can find closure.”

Police said anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Homicide Cold Case Unit at (951) 320-8000 or by emailing [email protected].

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