Woman charged 16 years after baby girl found dead in Union City dumpster

(KRON) — A Denver woman has been arrested and charged with murder 16 years after a newborn baby girl was found dead in a dumpster in Union City, police announced Thursday.

The deceased baby was discovered on May 18, 2009, by a man searching for recyclables behind the Parkside Apartments located at 1501 Decoto Road, according to the Union City Police Department.

The newborn’s homicide resonated throughout the community and the Union City Police Department. Officers named the girl Matea Esperanza, which they said means “Gift from God” in Hebrew and “Hope” in Spanish, and the police union purchased a permanent grave marker in her honor at Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward. Every year in May, UCPD holds a memorial service for the baby girl.

Angela Onduto, 46, was identified as the suspect through recent advanced DNA analysis of evidence that was collected in 2009, authorities said. Onduto, according to UCPD, was a person of interest during the initial stages of the homicide investigation in 2009.

Detectives traveled to Denver in May 2025 and coordinated with local law enforcement to arrest Onduto. Police said charges, however, were withheld “pending further forensic analysis and a detailed review of the medical examiner’s findings.”

Weeks later, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder charge against Onduto. She was arrested by the Denver Police Department on Wednesday and is pending extradition to Alameda County.

“The UCPD expresses deep gratitude that justice is progressing in Matea’s case after 16 years, reaffirming the department’s commitment to solving cold cases and bringing closure to the community,” police said.