A 14-year-old girl reportedly ran over her newborn baby moments after giving birth on a dirt track in Moss Landing, California. The body of the baby girl, nicknamed Baby Angelita, was discovered abandoned near a strawberry field on August 1.
Investigation reveals dark family secret
Police uncovered a dark web of horror and claim the schoolgirl's biological father, 38-year-old Sergio Galvez Perez, had impregnated his own daughter during years of horrific sexual abuse. Detectives revealed the teen was working as a child field labourer when she secretly gave birth on the roadside. Evidence at the scene showed extensive "crush-type trauma" alongside tire marks and blood-soaked soil.
Investigators believe the baby was moved under a parked beige Mercury sedan before the frightened teen got into the driver's seat and drove off, crushing the infant with the front wheel, TMZ reported. Detective Richard Geng, with the Monterey County Sheriff's Department, said: "Several feet from Baby Angelita was what appeared to be a large blood stain, which led detectives to believe that Baby Angelita was moved from where she was born to a location under a vehicle that ended up running her over."
Text messages reveal panic
Text messages retrieved from the teen's phone revealed her blind panic, telling her father she hid the birth because her mother "would kill her if she saw it". Two days after the discovery, officers found the terrified girl hiding under a pile of clothes in a closet in Salinas.
Her father reportedly stole her from a hospital bed and fled to Mexico to escape justice, sparking an international FBI manhunt. He was captured on October 4 and now faces extradition on charges of incest, child endangerment, and felony sexual assault.
Mother arrested and teen in protective custody
The 14-year-old girl has since been identified by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office as Diana Galvez Ortega. Diana's mother, Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, was also arrested on October 6 for forcing her daughter to work in fields at just 13 using fake IDs, keeping her out of school, and letting her drive illegally.
Diana is reportedly now in protective custody as prosecutors await final autopsy results to decide whether to bring homicide charges against the victim of catastrophic abuse. Following a public wave of community support and pushback from local officials who pointed out she was an abused minor, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office clarified that Diana has not been charged with murder, ABC 7 Bay Area reported.
Prosecutors are reportedly reviewing the final autopsy and psychological evaluations before making any future legal determinations. "We recognise that the 14-year-old is a victim of her father's abuse. No child should ever have to endure such horrific circumstances," the Monterey County District Attorney's office said in a statement last month.
