A California investigation that has already stunned the public has taken another disturbing turn, with authorities now saying a 14-year-old girl may have run over her newborn daughter shortly after giving birth alone beside a strawberry field.
The infant, known publicly as “Baby Angelita,” was discovered dead along Struve Road near Moss Landing on August 1. Investigators announced this week that evidence suggests the newborn suffered fatal crush injuries after being placed beneath a vehicle that was then driven away. [cbsnews.com], [abc7news.com]
According to Monterey County investigators, the girl had been working in agricultural fields that morning alongside her mother. Detectives believe she left the work area, gave birth without medical assistance near the field, and then returned to the family’s beige Mercury sedan. Witnesses reportedly saw the teenager get behind the wheel before the vehicle departed the area. Authorities believe that was when the infant was struck. [cbsnews.com], [ksbw.com]
Investigators found a large bloodstain several feet from where the baby’s body was discovered. Detective Richard Geng said the evidence indicates the newborn was likely moved from the spot where she was born to a location underneath the vehicle before it drove over her. Tire impressions, blood-soaked soil and extensive crush injuries were all documented at the scene. [abc7news.com], [ksbw.com]
Authorities have emphasized that they have not yet determined whether the baby was intentionally run over. A final autopsy report remains pending. [cbsnews.com], [wpde.com]
The mother.
As detectives dug deeper into the case, they uncovered a horrific family secret. DNA testing allegedly showed that 38-year-old Sergio Galvez Perez was both the biological father of the 14-year-old girl and the biological father of the deceased newborn, indicating years of sexual abuse and incest. [abc7news.com], [6abc.com]
Investigators said the teenager initially claimed another juvenile was responsible for the pregnancy, but DNA evidence later pointed directly to her father. Officials subsequently obtained warrants accusing Perez of incest, child sexual abuse and related felony offenses. [cbsnews.com], [pajaronian.com]
Authorities also uncovered text messages allegedly sent by the girl to her father roughly four hours after the baby’s death. In one translated message, she reportedly told him that the baby had been born and that she hid the child because she feared her mother would discover the birth. She also warned him that police had arrived and were investigating. [ksbw.com]
Phone records allegedly revealed internet searches conducted before and after the birth, including queries about concealing a pregnancy, ending a pregnancy, what might happen if police found a newborn belonging to a minor, and how to disable iPhone location tracking. [ksbw.com], [ksbw.com]
The case expanded into an international manhunt after authorities say Perez removed his daughter from a hospital before she was medically discharged following childbirth. The pair disappeared, triggering an Amber Alert. Mexican authorities later located the teenager in Chihuahua and arrested Perez. The girl was placed into protective custody while the FBI began efforts to secure Perez’s extradition to California. [cbsnews.com], [6abc.com]
Meanwhile, the girl’s mother, Ofelia Garcia Ortega, has also been arrested. Prosecutors allege she allowed her daughter to work in agricultural fields using falsified documents, let her drive without a license, and kept her out of school. She faces charges that include child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. [abc7news.com], [yahoo.com]
Despite widespread public attention, no homicide charges have yet been filed in Baby Angelita’s death. Authorities say the investigation remains active while they await additional forensic findings and review evidence surrounding the newborn’s final moments.
