A 14-year-old girl who authorities say was sexually abused and impregnated by her father was behind the wheel of a car that ran over her newborn daughter, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office investigators said Thursday.
The revelation came during a press conference in which Sheriff Tina Nieto and Detective Richard Geng laid out a detailed timeline of the investigation into the death of a newborn girl known as Baby Angelita, whose body was discovered Aug. 1 alongside Struve Road in north Monterey County.
Investigators also revealed that the girl’s father, Sergio Galvez Perez, 38, was in the Bay Area when the baby died, and that they have found no evidence he was involved in the newborn’s death.
The girl was found safe in Mexico earlier this month during an operation by Mexican authorities, who also arrested Galvez Perez on local drug possession charges.
The FBI is now working with the U.S. Department of Justice to seek his extradition to face sexual assault charges in Monterey County.
Geng said investigators believe the girl gave birth beside a strawberry field where she worked on Struve Road. The newborn was then moved beneath a vehicle, which then drove over her.
Deputies responding to the scene at about 8:30am Aug. 1 found the infant with extensive injuries consistent with being crushed by a vehicle. Tire impressions and blood-soaked soil were found near the body.
The baby was pronounced dead at 8:46am.
A large bloodstain several feet away led detectives to believe the infant had been moved from where she was born.
Investigators identified a beige Mercury sedan belonging to the girl’s parents through surveillance footage, witness statements and automated license plate reader data.
When detectives searched the family’s Salinas home Aug. 3, they found the 14-year-old hiding beneath a pile of clothes in a bedroom closet.
During an interview outside the presence of her parents, the girl told detectives she had been in a sexual relationship with another juvenile and had given birth without receiving medical attention.
Investigators immediately opened a separate sexual assault investigation and took her to a hospital.
At that point, Geng said, detectives had no indication that her father had sexually abused her or was the father of Baby Angelita.
But the following day, investigators learned that Galvez Perez had removed his daughter from the hospital before she was medically discharged.
Detectives notified Child Protective Services and began searching for the girl.
Over the following weeks, investigators obtained search warrants for cell phone records, medical records and other evidence.
A forensic examination of the Mercury sedan revealed suspected blood evidence in the front right wheel well, which corresponded with tire impressions found at the scene.
Witness statements and other evidence indicated that the girl had driven herself and her mother to their agricultural workplace that morning.
Witnesses also reported seeing the girl get into the driver’s seat shortly before the vehicle left the scene.
Additional blood evidence discovered inside the car during a second forensic examination supported investigators’ belief that the girl was driving when the vehicle struck the newborn, Geng said.
Detectives also recovered text messages the girl allegedly sent her father about four hours after the incident.
“Dad! A while ago, I couldn’t hold it anymore, and the baby came out, and I hid it somewhere because my mom was going to see me with it, and she was going to kill me,” one translated message stated.
The girl also told her father that police had arrived and were investigating.
Investigators found internet searches on the girl’s phone dating back months before the birth that concerned hiding or terminating a pregnancy.
On Aug. 1, shortly after the incident, the girl searched for information about what would happen if police found a newborn belonging to a minor, Geng said.
Another search concerned how to disable location tracking on an iPhone.
A judge issued a warrant for the girl’s arrest Aug. 11. It was not clear Thursday whether the sexual assault investigation will affect her legal case.
Eight days later, DNA results confirmed that Galvez Perez was the biological father of both the 14-year-old and Baby Angelita.
Investigators then obtained a warrant for his arrest on sexual assault charges.
The girl’s mother, Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, was arrested Tuesday at the Salinas courthouse on charges that include possessing forged identification and child endangerment.
Prosecutors allege that Garcia Ortega used falsified documents to put her daughter to work in agricultural fields when she was 13, allowed her to drive without a license and kept her out of school.
Geng said investigators recovered text messages indicating that Garcia Ortega did not know what had happened at the scene where Baby Angelita died.
He also said detectives have found no clear evidence that Galvez Perez encouraged or participated in the newborn’s death.
The Sheriff’s Office is still awaiting the final autopsy report.
At Thursday’s press conference, Nieto addressed the public criticism surrounding the investigation and defended the decisions made by her detectives.
“Look, I understand people have questions, I understand the case has generated strong emotions,” she said.
But she cautioned against drawing conclusions before all the facts are known.
She also explained that releasing information too early could jeopardize an investigation, compromise evidence or place people at risk.
The sheriff emphasized that the 14-year-old is also the victim of serious crimes and that her safety and privacy remain priorities.
FBI agent Scott Schelbe said federal investigators began coordinating with Mexican authorities in early September after receiving a request for assistance from Monterey County.
The FBI’s legal attaché office in Mexico City worked with local authorities to locate the girl and her father.
Mexican child protection authorities took custody of the girl after her rescue.
“When a child is in danger, our partnerships—local, federal, international—move with a shared purpose and urgency,” Schelbe said.
The Pajaronian does not generally identify victims of sexual assault. Although authorities publicly released the girl’s name during the investigation and subsequent Amber Alert, the newspaper is withholding her identity because she is an alleged victim of sexual abuse.
Nieto said the investigation remains active and that detectives are continuing to seek answers about Baby Angelita’s death.
“Baby Angelita lost her life,” she said. “She deserves answers, and she deserves justice. Our responsibility to her has not changed.”
