Tragic stories of newborn babies abandoned in dumpsters, trash cans and toilets hit the news cycle from time to time, but they tend to disappear shortly, leaving news consumers without any idea if the case will ever be solved.
DNA technology has changed that. While the ability to identify an individual by their genetic code has been around for decades, it is being used in new ways. Using what is called “genetic genealogy,” law enforcement is able to compare DNA samples from victims or possible perpetrators to databases of DNA stored by companies that offer commercial DNA testing for those looking to complete their family tree.
This kind of DNA “triangulation” led to the capture of the Golden State Killer in California, for example. A similar process was used to identify Melissa Jean Allen Avila, today a 55-year-old living in North Carolina before she was arrested. Police say that Avila, then 19 years old, left her newborn baby in a dumpster behind a business in Riverside California. The baby was found by a man who was sorting through trash and recycling.
When cops got the match, they arrested Avila on August 5.
The case has long been considered a homicide, but it went cold for nearly four decades; Avila probably assumed she would never be caught.
Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said the dead baby now “has an identity” thanks to the investigation, and his department will stay committed to giving “closure” to the families of murder victims.
While it seems the police know who the father was, they have not released his identity, and said they have no indication that he was involved in the alleged murder.
The U.S. Marshals in the Carolina region worked with cops in Riverside to track down and apprehend Avila. She is set to be arraigned in court in September. Meanwhile she has been jailed under a $1 million bond.
In an effort to avoid more tragic deaths, California passed a law in 2001 allowing a mother to voluntarily surrender a baby up to three days old. So long as the child is not abused, the mother will not be charged with a crime.
