Ofelia Garcia Ortega was arrested Tuesday at the Salinas Superior Courthouse in the Baby Angelita case, adding a new charge set to an investigation that began with the death of a newborn found along Struve Road in Monterey County. Monterey County sheriff’s detectives took her into custody without incident at 2:45 p.m.
She is being held in the Monterey County Jail on $150,000 enhanced bail. The Monterey County district attorney’s office said the arrest came after investigators examined her conduct in the same case that already led to charges against Sergio Galvez Perez.
Monterey County charges
The Monterey County district attorney’s office said Garcia Ortega, 36, was charged Tuesday with two felony counts of displaying or possessing a forged identification card, one misdemeanor count of permitting a child to suffer or be endangered, and one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Prosecutors said the investigation into Baby Angelita’s death also examined the conduct of Jane Doe’s mother.
In a statement Tuesday afternoon, the office said, “The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death also examined the conduct of Jane Doe’s mother, Ofelia Garcia Ortega.” It added, “Investigators determined that Ortega put Jane Doe to work in agricultural fields at age 13 using falsified documentation. Ortega also allowed Jane Doe to drive without a license and allowed her to completely remain out of school for many months.”
Aug. 1 infant death investigation
Baby Angelita was found dead on Aug. 1 with signs of traumatic injury along Struve Road in Monterey County. The case later widened when California authorities issued an Amber alert in early September for the teenager, who was described by prosecutors as a victim of sexual assault by her biological father.
On Sept. 2, Sergio Galvez Perez was charged with one count of lewd act upon a child, one count of incest, and one count of child abuse. Perez and his daughter were later found in Janos, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, and the girl is now in the custody of a Mexican government agency responsible for child protection.
Salinas Superior Courthouse and Tuesday
The Tuesday arrest adds a second criminal track for Garcia Ortega after her earlier arrest on Aug. 4 on suspicion of child endangerment. She posted $50,000 bail and was released, then returned to court this week before being taken into custody again. The new bail level raises the cost of release sharply and keeps the case tied to the infant death investigation as prosecutors continue to build the record around the mother’s conduct.
For Garcia Ortega, the immediate step is detention in Monterey County Jail unless bail is posted. For the family tied to Baby Angelita, the case now includes charges against both parents, and investigators have already indicated that the conduct review reached beyond the infant’s death itself.
