A man searching through a California dumpster for recycling discovered the body of a baby in 2009, and now a Colorado woman has been arrested for that newborn’s alleged murder.
Discoveries like this one are horrifying and traumatizing; yet, few are asking whether unchecked use of the abortion pill even later in pregnancy — obtained by women from online sources, with no accurate dating for gestational age or last menstrual period — could lead to an increase in similar disturbing incidents.
Key Takeaways:
- In May 2009, a man found a deceased newborn girl in a dumpster at an apartment complex in California.
- An autopsy revealed the baby girl was born alive and died by drowning.
- The case has remained open, and DNA evidence led police to Angela Onduto, who had been a person of interest in 2009 and who had relocated to Colorado. She was confirmed as the child’s mother and has been arrested.
- Safe haven laws allow parents to safely surrender a newborn baby, no questions asked.
The Details:
A woman in Colorado has been arrested for allegedly killing her newborn baby girl and putting the body in a dumpster 16 years ago. Angela Onduto, formerly Angela Anderson, 46, is awaiting extradition and faces a murder charge, according to MSN.
According to reports, a man searching through a dumpster for recycling on May 18, 2009, discovered the body of a newborn baby. He thought it was a doll, but after quickly realizing the truth, he called police. The baby’s umbilical cord was still attached and she was found with bloody clothing and a receipt from Costco.
“We’re very lucky in a sense because we know that dumpster was emptied earlier that day,” a police lieutenant told the Oakland Tribune at the time. “It’s possible this infant could have wound up elsewhere.”
An autopsy revealed that the baby girl died from being drowned shortly after birth. Police named her Matea Esperanza, which means “gift from God” in Hebrew and “hope” in Spanish. They bought a permanent marker for her and a gravesite at Chapel of the Chimes.
The case remained open for years, but advancements in forensic testing allowed police to identify the baby’s mother using a DNA profile from the baby. After running genetic genealogy, police were led to Angela Beth Onduto, who lived at an apartment complex where the dumpster was located and who was a person of interest in 2009.
Now residing in Colorado, police detectives traveled there and discovered that her DNA profile was a parental match to baby Matea. Denver police arrested Onduto on July 2. It was also discovered the the Costco receipt found stuck to the baby girl’s body was connected to Onduto.
Police say she has expressed no remorse and awaits extradition to California.
Why It Matters:
California has a safe haven law dating back to 2001 that allows parents to safely and anonymously surrender their newborns to a hospital, fire station, or other location determined by local officials. Parents who leave a newborn up to 72 hours after birth will not face any charges.
Onduto killed Matea and left her in a dumpster when there were police and fire stations nearby where she could have safely left her, no questions asked.
The Bottom Line:
No child deserves to be killed, inside or outside the womb.
In recent years, the advent of online abortion pill availability for use at home has increased the likelihood that women may (either unknowingly or intentionally) obtain the drug late in pregnancy and give birth to a baby who is either stillborn or who survives for a short period of time after birth.
The abortion pill, mifepristone, is only FDA-approved for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. But as it is used at later gestational ages, stories similar to this one have the potential to become more common. Because of this, some are concerned that some state laws regarding “pregnancy outcomes” may allow infanticide with no legal repercussions.
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