Grandmother in 'Baby Angelita' suspected incest case arrested in Monterey County: sheriff
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. -- A grandmother of a newborn baby found dead in a suspected incest case in Monterey County in August was arrested on suspicion of multiple crimes, the Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, was served with an arrest warrant Tuesday at a courthouse in Salinas on suspicion of displaying or possessing a forged identification card, permitting a child to suffer or be endangered, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The case involves Garcia Ortega's 14-year-old daughter and the teen's father, Sergio Galvez Perez, who is suspected of impregnating the girl.
According to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday, the investigation also examined Garcia Ortega's conduct involving her daughter. Investigators determined Garcia Ortega allegedly put her daughter to work in agricultural fields at age 13 using falsified documentation, allowed her to drive without a license, and allowed her to remain completely out of school.
VIDEO: Father arrested, 14-year-old daughter rescued by Mexican authorities in Monterey Co. incest case
The Sheriff's Office believes that Galvez Perez committed incest against his teen daughter and that she abandoned an infant who was fathered by him shortly after giving birth a little over two months ago. Authorities have named the deceased infant "Baby Angelita."
On Sunday, the Sheriff's Office received confirmation that the daughter had been rescued by Mexican law enforcement and that her father was arrested. An Amber Alert had gone out on Sept. 6 for the pair.
The case garnered a lot of attention after Sheriff Tina Nieto initially announced that there was probable cause to arrest the teen for murder. The Sheriff's Office also initially said the case did not meet the right criteria for an Amber Alert to be issued.
Pushback from Supervisor Wendy Root Askew and the community led the District Attorney's Office to release a statement that it hadn't charged the girl with anything. Prosecutors have however filed charges against Galvez Perez "for the heinous crime of sexually assaulting his own child."
