A Colorado woman has been arrested and charged with murder in the 16-year-old cold case of a newborn girl found abandoned in a Union City, California, dumpster, police announced this week. The infant, discovered on May 18, 2009, behind the Parkside Apartments by a man searching for recyclables, was found with her umbilical cord still attached.
She had been left among blood-stained pantyhose and a Costco receipt. Officers named the child Matea Esperanza Matea, meaning “Gift from God” in Hebrew, and “Esperanza” meaning “Hope” in Spanish. “This case touched so many people in our department,” Detective Steven Mendez said at the time of the infant’s discovery. “We were flabbergasted.
There is a fire station a few blocks away where the baby could have been safely surrendered. Our station is half a mile away. It’s tragic all the way around.” The case remained unsolved for more than a decade, but recent advancements in DNA technology allowed Union City detectives to re-examine evidence from 2009.
Their work ultimately led them to identify Angela Onduto, 46, of Denver, Colorado—also known as Angela Anderson—as the suspect. According to police, Onduto had previously been identified as a person of interest during the initial investigation. In May 2024, around what would have been Matea’s 16th birthday, Union City detectives traveled to Denver with local law enforcement and arrested Onduto.
In a probable cause statement obtained by Bay Area News Group, Union City Detective Dominic Ayala stated that Onduto confessed to the crime. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was drowning. “Angela detailed how she intentionally murdered (Matea) after giving birth at home in 2009,” Ayala wrote. “Angela expressed no remorse, and said she knew while pregnant she had no intention of keeping the baby.
She admitted to discarding Baby Jane Doe in the dumpster. She denied a diagnosis of any psychiatric conditions and/or drug use at the time of the incident.” Although initially taken into custody in May, charges were delayed pending further forensic review and confirmation of the coroner’s findings.
This week, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office formally charged Onduto with murder under California Penal Code 187. Denver police rearrested Onduto on Wednesday. She remains in custody awaiting extradition to California.
Union City police emphasized that Matea’s memory continues to resonate within the department. In 2017, the Union City Police Officers Association purchased a permanent grave marker for her at Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, where officers gather each May to honor her life.