Melissa Jean Allen Avila: Riverside’s Unidentified Baby Identified After Decades Using Advanced DNA, Mother Arrested

 

In October 1987, a tragic discovery was made in Riverside, California. 

The lifeless body of a newborn baby girl was found wrapped in a plastic bag inside a garbage dumpster. 

The dumpster was located behind a business on La Sierra Avenue in Riverside, roughly 50 miles east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire area.

A man looking for empty cans found the infant, and the Riverside County Coroner’s Office ruled her death a homicide.

Despite the thorough efforts of Riverside Police Homicide Detectives, the case went cold and no suspects were identified.

In 2020, the Riverside Police Department made a major move by establishing the Homicide Cold Case Unit

This initiative revived the investigation into this tragic case. 

The team worked with the Riverside County Regional Cold Case Team.

Their aim was to identify the baby and track down the person responsible for her death.

In November 2021, forensic evidence from the case was sent to Othram's laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas.

Using Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing®, Othram scientists successfully created a detailed DNA profile for the unidentified baby.

The DNA profile was given to the Riverside Police Department’s forensic genetic genealogy team. 

They used forensic genetic genealogy techniques to generate new leads.

This breakthrough led to the identification and subsequent arrest of the infant’s mother, 55-year-old Melissa Jean Allen Avila.

She was just 19 years old at the time of the baby’s death. 

Also, investigators do not believe the infant's father was involved in the crime.

Authorities tracked Avila down to Shelby, North Carolina. 

With help from the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, she was arrested, extradited to Riverside County, and charged with murder.

On August 5, 2024, Avila was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility. She is currently in custody with bail set at $1,100,000.

If you have any information regarding this case or the recent arrest, please reach out to the Riverside Police Department Homicide Cold Case Unit at 951-320-8000 or [email protected].

In other news, a man has been arrested and charged with his wife's murder, 25 years after her body was found dismembered and her head severed.

Click here to see the details.

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