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Salinas mother faces charges after missing 14-year-old found in Mexico
A Monterey County teen missing for nearly two months was found in Mexico, where authorities say her father was taken into custody. Her mother was arrested in Salinas and accused of endangering the girl, who gave birth to a premature baby that later was found dead in Moss Landing.
A 36-year-old Salinas woman was arrested Tuesday after authorities found her missing 14-year-old daughter in Mexico, where the girl’s father was also taken into custody, officials said.
The mother, Ofelia Garcia Ortega, was booked into Monterey County Jail on charges including permitting a child to suffer or be endangered, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and possessing or displaying a forged identification card. Prosecutors said she was expected to be arraigned Wednesday.
The teen had been missing for nearly two months after giving birth on Aug. 1 beside a road near an agricultural field, according to investigators. The newborn, referred to by authorities as Baby Angelita, was later found dead along a road in Moss Landing.
Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said the girl was found in Mexico last weekend and was safe in the care of local authorities there. Officials have not said when she or her father, 38-year-old Sergio Galvez Perez, might return to California.
Prosecutors allege Perez sexually assaulted his daughter, causing her pregnancy. A criminal complaint charges him with incest, child abuse and child sex crimes, and also accuses him of unlawfully marrying the girl. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The District Attorney’s Office said its investigation found that the girl had not attended school for many months, began working in agricultural fields at age 13 using falsified documentation, and was allowed to drive without a license. Prosecutors also said the baby was born prematurely.
Sheriff’s detectives arrested Ortega in Salinas on Tuesday afternoon. The sheriff’s office and FBI planned to provide further information about the investigation and the search for the girl at a news conference Thursday in Salinas.