A California cold case investigation team has arrested and charged a woman who allegedly disposed of her newborn’s remains in a dumpster nearly 40 years ago.
On Thursday, Aug. 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 her child’s death, according to jail records.
According to police, authorities discovered a baby girl’s body on Oct. 13, 1987, after a man searching through the 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 as detectives never found any more evidence.
An older image of the crime scene.
Riverside Police Department
“Riverside Police Homicide Detectives worked diligently on this case, but all leads were exhausted and a suspect was not identified,” police wrote in the press 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 organization Season of Justice to identify Avila as the child’s mother, the release added.
According to the press release, Season of Justice gives financial assistance through grant funding for authorities and families looking to solve cold cases through DNA and genealogy.
Avila would have been 19 at the time of her daughter’s death, and police said that “detectives have no reason to believe the baby’s father had any criminal culpability in the murder.” No further details about the manner of death have been released.
Melissa Jean Allen Avila’s mug shot.
Riverside Police Department
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 on Monday, Aug. 5, at 11:30 a.m. and was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, California.
She is being held on $1,100,000 bail, police said.
The Riverside Police Department also said that California enacted the Safe Arms for Newborns (or the safely surrendered baby law) in 2001. The law states that parents of newborns — three days old or younger — can be surrendered 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 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 the press release. “We will remain dedicated to seeking justice for homicide victims and ensuring their families find closure.”
Police noted that anyone with information about the case can contact the Homicide Cold Case Unit at (951) 320-8000 or by sending an email to HomicideColdCase@RiversideCA.gov.
