(Riverside Police Department)
A decades-old cold case in California has been brought to a shocking resolution with the arrest of a woman accused of disposing of her newborn’s remains in a dumpster nearly 40 years ago. On Thursday, August 8, the Riverside Police Department, located east of Los Angeles, announced the arrest of 55-year-old Melissa Jean Allen Avila.
Avila has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of her newborn daughter, according to jail records. The tragic case dates back to October 13, 1987, when a man searching through dumpsters behind a business discovered the remains of a baby girl.
The Riverside County Coroner’s Office quickly ruled the baby’s death a homicide, but the investigation eventually went cold as detectives were unable to gather enough evidence to identify a suspect. “Riverside Police Homicide Detectives worked diligently on this case, but all leads were exhausted and a suspect was not identified,” police stated in the press release.
In 2020, the department’s Homicide Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation, determined to bring justice to the unidentified baby girl. With the assistance of Season of Justice, a nonprofit organization that provides financial support for DNA and genealogy investigations, detectives were able to use DNA evidence to identify Avila as the mother of the deceased child.
Avila, who was 19 years old at the time of her daughter’s death, was apprehended in Shelby, North Carolina. Local authorities, in collaboration with U.S. Marshals, extradited her to Riverside County. She was arrested on Monday, August 5, and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, California, with bail set at $1,100,000.
Police emphasized that the baby’s father is not believed to have had any criminal involvement in the case. No further details about the manner of the infant’s death have been released.
Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez expressed gratitude for the resolution of the case, saying, “Thanks to the persistent efforts of our investigators and partners, this victim now has an identity, bringing resolution to the case. We will remain dedicated to seeking justice for homicide victims and ensuring their families find closure.”
California’s Safe Arms for Newborns law, enacted in 2001, allows parents to surrender newborns—three days old or younger—at any hospital emergency room or fire station without fear of prosecution. More information on safely surrendering a baby can be found on the California Department of Social Services website.
The Riverside Police Department encourages anyone with information about this case to contact the Homicide Cold Case Unit at (951) 320-8000 or via email at HomicideColdCase@RiversideCA.gov.
