Woman arrested in 37-year-old cold case for allegedly leaving dead newborn baby in California dumpster [Video]

A woman was arrested in connection with a nearly 37-year-old cold case in which a newborn baby was found dead in a California dumpster, according to police.

Melissa Jean Allen Avila, now 55, was taken into custody Friday on a murder charge and was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on $1.1 million bail, according to the Riverside Police Department.

Avila is accused of leaving her deceased baby girl in a dumpster behind a business on the 5400 block of La Sierra Ave. in Riverside, California, in October 1987 when she was 19-years-old.

A man rummaging for recyclables discovered the baby, according to police.

MISSING CALIFORNIA MOTHER FOUND DEAD NEAR HIKING TRAIL AFTER PARTNER THREATENED 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER: POLICE

The death of the newborn child was ruled a homicide by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office, but the police department’s homicide detectives exhausted all leads and were unable to identify a suspect at the time.

But in 2020, the case was …