Woman Accused of Tossing Newborn in Dumpster in 1987 Cold Case
August 12, 2024
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A North Carolina woman was arrested last week in connection with a 1987 cold case of a newborn baby who was found dead in a dumpster in California, the
New York Post
reported
.
Melissa Jean Allen Avila, now 55, was taken into custody on Friday and booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, according to the Riverside Police Department. Avila was located living in Shelby, North Carolina, and was extradited to California, the report states.
Avila is accused of leaving her deceased baby girl in a dumpster roughly 37 years ago in October when she was 19 years old. She allegedly left the baby in a dumpster behind a business on the 5400 block of La Sierra Ave in Riverside, California.