A California mother has been charged with murdering her newborn son, who was found dead in a paper bag on the side of the road 30 years ago.
Pamela Ferreyra, 60, was arrested Thursday after being linked to the cold case through DNA testing, which showed she was the mother of the child found in 1994.
Officials said at a news conference that Ferreyra was taken into custody at her home and is being held on $1 million bail on one count of murder.
Just two weeks before her arrest, Ferreyra received an outpouring of support after sharing a post on Facebook marking the death of her other son, saying she has “cried every day” since he died ten months before the age of 32 died. unclear.
Pamela Ferreyra, 60, has been charged with the murder of her newborn son, who was found dead in a paper bag on the side of the road 30 years ago
The newborn boy was tragically found dead by a roadside can collector in a plastic bag, but officials said this week it was not clear whether the child was alive or dead when he was dumped.
At Thursday’s news conference, Monterey County Sheriff Tina M. Nieto said authorities named the child “Baby Garin” because “Garin means protection.”
“Every child deserves protection and people deserve justice for them,” she said.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Commander Andres Rosas added that when the child was discovered, the can collector “opened that paper bag and discovered something that no one ever wants to find.”
“If you ask any law enforcement officer, they will tell you that the most difficult case to investigate is any case involving crimes against children,” Rosas said.
“These are emotional cases that you don’t quickly, if ever, forget.”
Ferreyra, a healthcare nurse and mother, is charged with one count of murder and is being held on a $1 million bond
Just two weeks before her arrest, Ferreyra shared a message on Facebook about her ‘sadness’ over the death of her son Nicholas (pictured together), who died last year at the age of 32.
An autopsy revealed that Baby Garin was born alive, but the cause of death could not be determined and it was unclear whether he died before being left by the roadside.
The case of the baby’s death remained unsolved for 30 years until the investigation was reopened last year due to advances in DNA technology.
Rosas said this meant authorities had new “investigative leads as to who the family of this baby, Garin, might be.”
“Monterey County District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Task Force detectives were then able to conduct follow-up interviews and obtain DNA samples, which ultimately led to the identification of Baby Garin’s mother,” she said.
According to her Facebook page, Ferreyra works as a home care provider.
It’s unclear how many children she has, but earlier this month she shared an anniversary post to mark the 10-month anniversary of the death of her son Nicholas, who passed away at the age of 32.
At a news conference after Ferreyra’s arrest, California officials said they were “glad that this day has come and that we can do something about this situation that happened 30 years ago.”
‘It’s difficult. I am fresh in this journey. I cry almost every day. Some days I feel hope, peace, love and happiness. Grief is woven into every aspect of my life,” she wrote. “Some days I cry just because I saw a photo or video of Nicholas.”
“I wish this wasn’t true. I wish it wasn’t him. But the truth of true grief is that your choices are limited. Grow and move forward, or stop and let it slowly ruin and kill you and everyone around you.
“There is joy in the sadness because there was so much love. And we are learning that. I have no choice but to choose to be stronger than the day before. To work so damn hard.”
Ferreyera did not share any further details about how her Nicholas died.
After Ferreyra’s arrest, Assistant District Attorney Matt L’Heureux said he was glad an arrest was made so long after the baby’s death.
“Some of them seem to think they’ve gotten away with it and are very surprised,” he said.
‘Some have been waiting for that knock on the door for decades. I couldn’t tell you what situation this falls under, but we are happy that this day has now arrived and that we can do something about the situation of thirty years ago.’