A Colorado woman has been charged with murder in the chilling 2009 case of a murdered newborn discovered in a San Francisco Bay Area dumpster.
Sixteen years after the infant’s body was found in Union City, 46-year-old Angela Onduto, also known as Angela Anderson, was arrested in Denver. She has been formally charged with killing her child.
Discovery of Murdered Newborn Leaves Community Outraged
On May 18, 2009, a man collecting recyclables at the Parkside Apartments on Decoto Road made a horrifying discovery—an infant girl, still attached to her umbilical cord and wrapped in bloodied pantyhose, discarded in a dumpster.
Authorities named the child Matea Esperanza, meaning “Gift from God” and “Hope.”
Though the case went cold for years, Union City police never gave up. A permanent grave marker was placed for Esperanza in 2017 at Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, and the department continues to hold an annual remembrance ceremony.
DNA Links Angela Onduto to Murdered Newborn Matea Esperanza
A breakthrough via DNA and digital evidence led to the identification. Advancements in genetic genealogy, combined with social media analysis and a covert trip to Denver, helped detectives finally identify Onduto as the likely mother and the prime suspect.
