Mother of newborn found dead in dumpster is identified, arrested for the murder 37 years later

A woman has been arrested for murdering her baby 37 years after the newborn was found dead inside a dumpster, California authorities said Thursday.

The dumpster was located behind a business in Riverside, and on Oct. 13, 1987, a man rummaging for recyclables found the newborn girl inside of it, Riverside police said. Officials ruled the death a homicide, but after exhausting all leads, detectives went more than three decades without answers.

Then in 2020, the newly formed Riverside Police Department Homicide Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation and tested DNA from the scene. With the help of the county's Regional Cold Case Team and Season of Justice — a nonprofit that helps fund DNA analysis in cold cases — authorities identify the baby's mother as 55-year-old Melissa Jean Allen Avila, who would've been 19 at the time of the baby's death.

Riverside Police Department

Riverside detectives and U.S. Marshals eventually located Avila in North Carolina, where she was arrested for murder. Authorities extradited her to Riverside County, where she was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $1.1 million bail. There is no evidence that the baby's father is involved in the case, police said.

"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. "We will remain dedicated to seeking justice for homicide victims and ensuring their families find closure."

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Fourteen years after the baby's murder, in 2001, California established the Safe Arms for Newborns law, which allows any parent or guardian to confidentially surrender a newborn to any hospital emergency room or fire station without fear of prosecution. The guardian does not face prosecution in these cases, so long as the baby is 3 days old or younger and has not been mistreated.

The number of abandoned infants has been on a steady decline in California in the years since the law was enacted. When looking at its first year, California Social Services data shows two babies were safely surrendered while 20 were abandoned, 13 of whom were deceased, in 2001. Then in 2022, the latest year of data, 94 babies were safely surrendered and only two were abandoned, one of whom was deceased.

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