A woman from Colorado was charged with the murder of a newborn baby discovered in California after DNA tests revealed it was her daughter.
Angela Onduto, 46, was arrested in Denver on July 2 after murder charges were officially filed in connection with the death of a newborn baby in Union City, California in 2009. Union City police announced on Facebook that the baby girl was discovered dead in a dumpster behind an apartment complex. According to police, Onduto was initially a person of interest in the investigation, but she was never arrested, and the case went cold.
Years after the baby was discovered, DNA testing linked her to her birth mother, Onduto, authorities said.
In May, on the baby’s 16th birthday, police located Onduto in Denver and worked with local law enforcement in the area. Onduto was arrested but released pending formal charges.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed formal murder charges against Onduto on July 2, and he was arrested again and taken to Colorado. She is expected to be extradited to Alameda County, where she allegedly murdered her newborn daughter.
When the baby’s body was discovered on May 18, 2009, the Union City Police Department took custody and named her Matea. Matea, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, was discovered in a dumpster by a man looking for recyclables with her umbilical cord still attached and wrapped in bloody pantyhose.
Matea’s memory was honored with a permanent grave by the police department in 2017, and she is remembered every year on her birthday.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by the local Bay Area News Group, Onduto allegedly admitted to killing the baby shortly after her birth. According to a statement issued by Union City Cold Case Detective Dominic Ayala, “Angela detailed how she intentionally murdered [Matea] after giving birth at home in 2009. Angela showed no remorse and stated that while pregnant, she had no intention of keeping the baby. She admitted to dumping Baby Jane Doe in the dumpster. She denied having any psychiatric conditions or using drugs at the time of the incident.
Police said the investigation into Matea’s death is still ongoing. Onduto is still in custody in Colorado awaiting extradition.
