A missing California man is now a “person of interest” in the death of his 8-month-old daughter.
Alexander Echeverria, 22, was reported missing by family members on May 27. He was believed to have his infant daughter, Alexia Rose Echeverria, but the girl was later found behind a business in Bellflower. Her identity was confirmed by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
“Alexander is considered a person of interest in the death of Alexia. He is considered at-risk due to suicidal statements made to family members recently,” the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.
The man was last seen in southern California on Monday morning and is believed to be driving a gray 2014 Volkswagon Jetta with CA license plate 7FFT866.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Echeverria was urged to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office at (916) 874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at (916) 443-HELP. Tip information may also be left anonymously at www.sacsheriff.com or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).
Alexia was found dead behind a mortuary, Funeraria del Angel.
She was found upright in a car seat, covered in a blanket, by a mortuary worker, detective Steve Blagg told reporters.
The body had “no visible signs of trauma from what we could see, and we could only see very little,” he said, reported the Los Angeles Times.
“We just want justice,” that’s the message Karla Alvarado has after learning her baby girl, Alexia Rose Echeverria, was found dead beside a dumpster in Bellflower. Investigators are searching for the 8-month-old’s father, Alexander Echeverria. He’s a “person of interest” @FOX40 pic.twitter.com/BVx841MUNz
— Jessica Mensch (@Jessmensch) May 28, 2019
The girl’s mother said that she believes the infant’s father left her where she was found.
“I just can’t believe that he would just leave her there. She wasn’t trash, she wasn’t a doll. She was my little girl,” Karla Alvarado told Fox 40.
“Sunday morning, he dropped me off at work at 11 a.m. and then an hour later we FaceTimed. That’s the last time I saw her, on video chat,” Alvarado added.
She said that Echeverria claimed what happened to the little girl was an accident.
Karla Alvarado is begging Alexander Echeverria to turn himself in. Their 8-month-old daughter, Alexia, was found dead beside a dumpster in Bellflower yesterday. We’ll share her interview on @FOX40 at 5 and 6. pic.twitter.com/X0aFpPl5Wj
— Jessica Mensch (@Jessmensch) May 28, 2019
“He contacted his brother yesterday, I believe. He told him that he was playing with her, throwing her up (in the air), and he slipped and she fell, and she wasn’t waking up,” Alvarado said.
“He said he got scared and he drove to the hospital but he never went in because he thought nobody was going to believe him that it was an accident.”
Alvarado told CBS that her former partner was violent to her when they were together.
REST IN PEACE: A memorial of candles, notes and stuffed animals was growing Wednesday morning near the spot where 8-month-old Alexia Rose Echeverria was found dead in a car seat behind a Bellflower mortuary. https://t.co/oTYvzD1T3x
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) May 29, 2019
“He would choke me he would grab me by the hair and drag me around the room or slam me on the wall,” she said. She also said that Echeverria ran in the past when he got into trouble.
“He doesn’t face his problems, but this isn’t a game. This is my baby and he needs to face the consequences if he did this on purpose,” she said.
“I want to know what happened to her. I think I deserve to know.”
