Angela Onduto (left) and the grave of the newborn she is accused of killing (Union City Police Department).
A woman living in Colorado was charged with the murder of a newborn baby found in California after DNA proved the baby was her daughter.
Angela Onduto, 46, was taken into custody in Denver on July 2 following murder charges linked to the death of a newborn in Union City, California, back in 2009. According to a Facebook post by Union City police, the body of the infant girl was found in a dumpster behind an apartment complex. Initially, Onduto was considered a person of interest, but she was not apprehended, and the case became inactive.
Years after the baby was found, DNA connected her to Onduto, her birth mother, authorities said.
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In May, coinciding with what would have been the baby’s 16th birthday, authorities located Onduto in Denver, collaborating with local officials there. She was arrested but subsequently released while awaiting formal charges.
Once formal murder charges were issued by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office on July 2, Onduto was taken into custody once more in Colorado. Plans are underway for her extradition to Alameda County, where she is accused of allegedly murdering her newborn daughter.
The Union City Police Department took custody of the baby when her body was found on May 18, 2009, and named her Matea. According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, Matea still had her umbilical cord attached and was wrapped in bloody pantyhose when she was found in a dumpster by a man looking for recyclables.
The police department honored Matea’s memory with a permanent grave in 2017 and pays tribute to her on her birthday every year.
According to a probable cause statement obtained by the local Bay Area News Group, Onduto allegedly confessed to killing the baby shortly after she was born. Union City Cold Case Detective Dominic Ayala reportedly wrote in the statement, “Angela detailed how she intentionally murdered [Matea] after giving birth at home in 2009. Angela expressed no remorse, and said she knew while pregnant she had no intention of keeping the baby. She admitted to discarding Baby Jane Doe in the dumpster. She denied diagnosis with any psychiatric conditions and/or drug use at the time of the incident.”
Police said the investigation into Matea’s death is still ongoing. Onduto remains in custody in Colorado pending extradition.
