Prosecutors say the 14-year-old has not been charged, despite a sheriff’s murder-related arrest warrant issued during the investigation.
MOSS LANDING, Calif. — Monterey County authorities are searching for a 38-year-old man and his 14-year-old daughter after the teenager’s newborn baby was found dead beside a rural road, while prosecutors have clarified that no formal charging decision has been made against the girl.
The case has drawn new scrutiny because the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office obtained a murder-related arrest warrant for the teenager and initially described her as a murder suspect, even as authorities said she was also the victim of sexual abuse by her father. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office later said it had not received a request to file charges against the girl or investigative reports concerning her case. Prosecutors said only their office can ultimately decide whether criminal charges will be filed.
The investigation began at about 8:30 a.m. Aug. 1, when firefighters, emergency medical personnel and sheriff’s deputies responded to the 100 block of Struve Road in northern Monterey County after receiving a report of a newborn beside the roadway. Fire personnel pronounced the baby dead at the scene. Investigators have referred to the newborn as “Baby Angelita,” meaning “Baby Angel” in Spanish. Authorities said a postmortem examination found signs of traumatic injury but have not publicly released a more specific cause of death.
Sheriff’s investigators said they developed evidence indicating that a 14-year-old girl gave birth beside the road, placed the newborn on the ground and left the area. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the teenager’s name because she is a minor. Sheriff Tina Nieto later announced that investigators had determined Sergio Galvez Perez, 38, was the biological father of both the teenager and the newborn. Authorities allege Perez sexually abused and impregnated his daughter while she was 13.
The Sheriff’s Office announced Aug. 31 that a judge had signed arrest warrants after investigators said they developed probable cause in the case. The warrant involving the teenager cited California’s murder statute. Perez was sought at that stage on allegations including incest, lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, lewd acts with a minor, unlawful sexual intercourse, child concealment and child endangerment. Investigators said they believe Perez is concealing the teenager and preventing law enforcement from locating her.
The legal status of the teenager became more complicated after the District Attorney’s Office issued a clarification Sept. 2. District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni’s office said prosecutors had neither received a filing request for charges against the girl nor reviewed investigative reports concerning her. The warrant obtained by sheriff’s investigators is a Ramey warrant, which allows law enforcement to seek an arrest warrant directly from a judge based on probable cause before prosecutors review a case. The district attorney said her office had made no decision about charging the teenager.
Prosecutors separately filed a criminal case against Perez involving his alleged treatment of his daughter. A Monterey County Superior Court complaint reported by KSBW charges him with three felony counts: a lewd act upon a child, incest and child abuse. The alleged conduct described in the complaint spans periods beginning in November 2025. Those filed charges do not accuse Perez of killing the newborn. Prosecutors have asked that a warrant be issued for his arrest and have called on him to surrender.
The District Attorney’s Office has emphasized that it considers the 14-year-old a victim of alleged sexual abuse. Prosecutors said children under the control or influence of an abuser can face serious barriers to reaching safety and that responsibility for finding safety should not be placed on the child. County officials also publicly criticized the way the girl had been characterized after the Sheriff’s Office announced the murder-related warrant, underscoring the unusual circumstances surrounding the investigation.
Investigators said automated license plate reader cameras played an important role in developing the case. The Sheriff’s Office used information from the Flock camera system to identify and track a vehicle of interest, then combined that information with traditional investigative work to identify people associated with the vehicle. Authorities said the technology helped detectives develop significant leads within days of the newborn’s discovery.
Investigators also arrested Ofelia Garcia Ortega, 36, the teenager’s biological mother, on suspicion of child endangerment. She posted bail and was released from the Monterey County Jail. The District Attorney’s Office said it is reviewing possible charges involving Ortega but said those potential charges are unrelated to the newborn’s death and unrelated to the alleged sexual assault committed by Perez. No final charging decision involving Ortega had been announced in the latest reviewed statements.
Perez and the teenager remained unlocated in the latest public reports reviewed Sept. 4. Authorities have released additional photographs of Perez, who investigators said performs with a musical group, in hopes that members of the public will recognize him. The Sheriff’s Office continues to ask anyone who sees Perez to contact law enforcement and not approach him. The investigation into Baby Angelita’s death remains active, while prosecutors say any future decision involving the 14-year-old will depend on the evidence formally presented to their office.
Author note: Last updated September 5, 2026.