Amber alert issued for Monterey Co. teen believed to be taken by her father after baby found dead
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. -- An Amber Alert was issued Sunday for a 14-year-old Monterey County girl who was believed to have been taken by her father after a baby was found dead in Moss Landing about a month ago.
The California Highway Patrol asked the public to look out for a white Nissan Altima without license plates. The alert is active in the counties of Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Orange, and Imperial.
The girl was allegedly abducted by 38-year-old Sergio Galvez Perez after a baby was found deceased on the side of Struve Road in the unincorporated Moss Landing area on Aug. 1.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office accused Galvez Perez of fathering the baby with his daughter and issued warrants for both of their arrests. The baby was named "Baby Angelita" by the Sheriff's Office.
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The two were last seen on Aug. 4 in Salinas, at Constitution Boulevard and East Laurel Drive.
The teenager was described as standing 4 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing about 100 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Galvez Perez was described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office drew criticism after saying it had probable cause to arrest the girl on suspicion of murder while also saying she was the victim of sexual assault by Galvez Perez.
Some victims' advocates and elected officials said that would dissuade the girl from coming forward and argued that should not be the aim of law enforcement.
"Children who are sexually abused should not have to wonder whether the adults and institutions they turn to will protect them," Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said in a statement Thursday after hearing criticism of the Sheriff's Office's arrest warrant for the girl. "Our message to all victims must be consistent and unambiguous: You deserve to be safe. You can ask for help. We will help you."
Some also questioned why an Amber Alert had not been issued for weeks after the disappearance of the two. The Sheriff's Office said it did not have sufficient information to issue one at the time, asserting that it was unclear if the teen had been taken against her will.
RELATED: Body of infant, human remains found separately in Monterey Co. on same day, sheriff says
"We can't confirm that she's willingly or unwillingly with her dad," Sheriff's Office spokesperson Cmdr. Andres Rosas said in a statement Thursday. "We know that they're both on the run. We suspect that they're together, but we cannot confirm that."
A vehicle that was also believed to be connected to Galvez Perez was also recovered during the initial investigation, leaving the Sheriff's Office without much information to attach to an Amber Alert until Sunday's update.
Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto seemed to backtrack on her office's characterization of the girl as an alleged murder suspect in a statement following the public criticism, and following a District Attorney's Office statement that said no such charges had been filed.
"Really at the center of this is two children -- baby Angelita, who lost her life, and a 14-year-old child who is now the subject of serious allegations of involving the death of the baby, who is also a victim because of the sexual abuse by her own father," Nieto said in a statement.
