Prosecutors: 14-year-old in Moss Landing newborn death not charged with murder

The Monterey County District Attorney's Office has said the 14-year-old girl at the centre of the Moss Landing newborn death case has not been charged with murder, according to ABC 7 Bay Area. The clarification followed public support for the teenager and criticism from local officials who stressed she is an abused minor. Prosecutors are reviewing a final autopsy and psychological evaluations before deciding on any future legal steps.

The body of the infant, nicknamed Baby Angelita, was discovered abandoned near a strawberry field on August 1, after the teenager reportedly gave birth on a dirt track. Investigators said evidence at the scene included tire marks, blood-soaked soil and extensive crush-type trauma. According to TMZ, detectives believe the baby was placed under a parked beige Mercury sedan before the girl drove away, crushing the infant with a front wheel.

Detective Richard Geng of the Monterey County Sheriff's Department said a large blood stain found several feet from the baby led investigators to conclude the newborn had been moved from the birth site to a spot beneath a vehicle. Messages recovered from the teenager's phone reportedly showed her in blind panic, telling her father she had concealed the birth because her mother would kill her if she found out. Two days after the discovery, officers located the girl hiding under a pile of clothes in a closet in Salinas.

The teenager's biological father, 38-year-old Sergio Galvez Perez, is accused of impregnating his daughter through years of sexual abuse, and is said to have taken her from a hospital bed before fleeing to Mexico, prompting an international FBI manhunt. He was captured on October 4 and faces extradition on charges of incest, child endangerment and felony sexual assault.

The girl's mother, 36-year-old Ofelia Garcia Ortega, was arrested on October 6. She is accused of forcing her daughter to work in fields from the age of 13 using fake identification, keeping her out of school and allowing her to drive illegally.

Diana Galvez Ortega, as the Monterey County Sheriff's Office has identified her, is now in protective custody. In a statement last month, the district attorney's office said: '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.'