Police: Missing 3-Year-Old Victim Of Foul Play

[odette]

Police: Missing 3-Year-Old Victim Of Foul Play

-- Mom Said Toddler Snatched From Her Arms --

* Video: Kidnapping Suspect Captured; Girl Still Missing

ABC 7 NEWS - POSTED: 3:39 pm MDT September 21, 2007 - UPDATED: 1:05 am MDT September 22, 2007

DENVER -- Police believe that a 3-year-old girl who was reportedly snatched from her mother's arms may be a victim of foul play.

It's not exactly clear what happened Friday afternoon but police suspect that Angel Ray Montoya had something to do with it.

Montoya, who is wanted for investigation of a homicide, was captured Friday evening after an all-night manhunt. The girl, Nevaeh Gallegos, has not been found.

Investigators would not say if they believe the girl is dead, but Detective John White said, "We do have our homicide investigators working on this."

Officers are asking anyone who saw Nevaeh to call 911.

Nevaeh was wearing a red, long-sleeve sweatshirt with an elephant on the front, red jeans and pink princess shoes. She is Hispanic, has straight dark hair, is about 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 45 pounds.

Montoya was arrested near Lincoln Street and 13th Avenue. Officer said they saw a man who looked like Montoya. When they confronted him, there was a brief scuffle and the man ran off. Police chased him, took him into custody and confirmed that it was Montoya.

The strange set of events began at abut 3 p.m., when officers were called to the scene at 11th and Cherokee on the report of a possible kidnapping.

The girl's mother said she was holding her 3-year-old daughter while walking down an alley. She said she was taking the girl to the hospital when two men drove up, grabbed the girl and drove off in a white four-door vehicle. She described one suspect as a tall man with red hair and a full red beard. He was wearing a green baseball cap, she said. She said the other man was also white.

Officers gathered at the parking lot of KRMA, the public television station near the scene, and seized tapes from the station's security cameras, which look into that alley, in hopes of getting pictures of the car.

About an hour later, officers left the area and abruptly canceled the Amber Alert they had issued at 4:30 p.m. Police did not explain why they canceled the Amber Alert, other than to say that what they learned during their investigation made them "move in the direction away from an Amber Alert."

It's not known if Montoya and the girl are related, or if the woman had filed a false report when she said that her child was kidnapped by two white men.

According to court records, Montoya was found guilty in 2005 of child abuse.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14176225/detail.html

[odette]

Police: 3-Year-Old Stuffed In Bag, Dumped In Alley

-- Mom, Boyfriend Arrested --

* Video: Public Asked To Search For Girl's Body
* Video: Suspect Captured, Girl Still Missing

ABC 7 NEWS - POSTED: 11:08 am MDT September 22, 2007 - UPDATED: 12:52 am MDT September 23, 2007

DENVER -- Denver police are searching for a 3-year-old girl whom they believed to be dead, stuffed in a large plastic bag and dumped somewhere in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

On Saturday, top law enforcement officials issued a disturbing plea for help from the public.

"It's pretty simple," said District Attorney Mitch Morrisey. "Walk out into your back yard, look through your Dumpsters, help us find this little girl. She's probably in a black plastic bag or white plastic bag."

The girl's mother, who had claimed on Friday that her little girl was snatched from her arms by two men while she was walking down an alley, is now being held on suspicion of being an accessory to murder.

"We've arrested the mother as an accomplice. We've also arrested the mother's boyfriend who we believe may have done something with this child," said Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson.

Miriam Gallegos, 20, was arrested Friday night.

Her boyfriend, Angel Ray Montoya, was taken into custody Friday evening after an all-night manhunt. He is being held for investigation of a first-degree murder charge.

Police said when they arrested him, he was carrying a duffle bag, but it was empty. Police suspect he put the girl's body in the bag after she was murdered and disposed of her somewhere in Capitol Hill neighborhood.

They said he also had a bus pass, so it is possible he took a bus or light rail somewhere to get rid of the body, police said.

"We need to re-create what these two did yesterday prior to the disappearance of the 3-year-old girl," said Police Chief Gerry Whitman.

Police are going through the Denver alleys and Dumpsters, searching for 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos. They have also asked the Denver Fire Department to search the Platte River between 6th Avenue and Interstate 70 for the girl's body.

On Saturday night, Whitman said officers are focusing the search between 6th and 20th Avenue from Downing to Speer.

Investigators have not said why they believe she is dead. The toddler was last seen with Montoya at an apartment on 12th Avenue and Logan Street -- an apartment that has since been sealed with crime scene tape.

Miriam Gallegos also faces a charge of filing a false report. At about 3 p.m. Friday , Gallegos told officers that she was taking Niveah to the hospital when two men she didn't know kidnapped the girl and drove off in a white vehicle. That prompted officers to issue an Amber Alert in search of the vehicle and the girl. But about an hour into the investigation, police canceled the alert and said that Niveah was the victim of foul play, but they wouldn't say what led them to believe that.

Niveah was last seen wearing a red, long-sleeve shirt with an elephant on the front, red sweat pants and pink princess shoes. She has straight brown hair, brown eyes, is about 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 45 pounds.

Montoya is a registered sex offender and has been convicted of child abuse and indecent exposure to minors and adults. He has also been arrested on charges of kidnapping, according to police records.

He was arrested at about 9 p.m. near Lincoln Street and 13th Avenue. Officer said they saw a man who looked like Montoya. When they confronted him, there was a brief scuffle and the man ran off. Police chased him, took him into custody and confirmed that it was Montoya.

Gallegos also has a criminal history. In 2006, she was accused of possession of marijuana and found guilty of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Anyone who has seen Niveah is asked to call 911, the Denver Police Department at 720-913-2000 or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14180469/detail.html?rss=den&psp=news#

http://i9.tinypic.com/4zbuh51.jpg

[odette]

Police search for girl, 3; mother arrested

By Rocky Mountain News - September 22, 2007

Denver police have arrested a 20-year-old woman as an accessory in the slaying of her 3-year-old daughter.

Police said Miriam Gallegos told them Friday afternoon that her daughter, Niveah Gallegos, had been kidnapped.

Police investigated the mother's story and said they determined that Niveah was the victim of foul play. They would not say why they believe the girl is dead.

Police officers were still searching for the child's body Saturday night. They said they believe she might have been placed in a large plastic bag and disposed of in the downtown area.

Police expanded the search Saturday afternoon to the shores of the South Platte River. Denver fire crews helped search the river’s banks from the Broncos bridge at Invesco Field at Mile High to 30th Avenue.

Gallegos and a second suspect, Angel Ray Montoya, 22, appeared in court Saturday to be advised of their charges. Montoya faces a charge of first-degree murder and is being held without bail. In addition to accessory charges, Gallegos is suspected of false reporting and child abuse resulting in death, police said. She is being held on $500,000 bail.

In the hours after she was reported missing Friday, dozens of Denver police officers and a bloodhound searched for the little girl in an area near downtown.

About 8 Friday night, they arrested Montoya, a registered sex offender, at East 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street after he led police on a brief foot chase.

Earlier in the day, police had said Montoya was being investigated for homicide in connection with the girl’s disappearance.

Police began searching for the child about 3 p.m., shortly after her mother called and told officers that two men kidnapped her daughter in the 1000 block of Cherokee Street, a few blocks south of the Denver Police Department headquarters.

An Amber Alert was issued.

But police canceled the alert a short time later after interviewing Miriam Gallegos.

"We do not find (the mother's account) credible," police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

Montoya had been seen at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the 1200 block of Logan Street in Capitol Hill, less than a half-mile from where the girl was reported kidnapped. Friday night, police investigated two Capitol Hill locations. One was the area where Montoya was arrested at 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street. .....

continued
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news/article/0,1299,DRMN_3_5705108,00.html

[odette]

Police Ask Public to Help Find Little Girl's Body

-- Chief says there was no abduction of 3-year-old --

MY FOX COLARADO - Created: Saturday, 22 Sep 2007, 10:31 AM MDT - Last Edited: Saturday, 22 Sep 2007, 5:48 PM MDT

DENVER -- A registered sex offender was being held for investigation of first-degree murder Saturday as authorities continued to search for a three-year-old girl who was missing and presumed dead.

Police believe the child’s mother, Miriam Gallegos had a role in the alleged crime. Her boyfriend was the man in custody.

Police chief Gerald Whitman with Denver District Attorney Mitch Morissey alongside, held a news conference early Saturday evening to ask the public for help in finding the body of the three-year-old.

Angel Ray Montoya, 22, was arrested at East 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street following a brief foot chase Friday evening after an Amber Alert was issued for the three-year-old. .....

continued
-- Chief says there was no abduction of 3-year-old -- (http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4431538&version=6&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

http://i2.tinypic.com/4rb5pqt.jpg
Niveah Gallegos - Photo provided by Denver Police

[odette]

Cops Call for Public's Help in Finding Missing Girl:

-- Three-year old feared dead; mom, boyfriend, in custody --

by Eli Stokols - September 22, 2007

DENVER (KWGN) — Police Chief Gerry Whitman and District Attorney Mitch Morrisey Saturday afternoon made a plea to the public for help finding Niveah Gallegos, the three-year-old girl who has been missing since Friday and is feared dead.

"In any type of homicide, it's critical to find the body," Morrisey said. "If (the public) can just take the time to look around, in dumpsters, alleys, if they see any disturbed ground anywhere, it could really help us find this girl."

Almost 24 hours after arresting Angel Montoya, the boyfriend of the girl's mother and a registered sex-offender, Chief Whitman talked more about what police think might have happened to the little girl. She was last seen at an apartment in at 1257 Logan Street where she lived with her mother, Miriam Gallegos, and Montoya, 22, who is being held on first-degree murder charges.

"We believe that Mr. Montoya possibly took the little girl, concealed in a white trash bag and then in a duffel bag, away from that address and possibly disposed of the little girl's body," Whitman said.

Police spent hours searching that apartment Friday and again Saturday.

"I saw a car taken away, as well as a duffel bag," said Tiffany Scholes, who lives across the street. "There were a lot of cops here for a long time." .....

continued
http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-missing-girl-update,0,463481.story?coll=kwgn-home-2

[odette]

Grim turn in girl's case

-- Mom said 3-year-old was abducted; police now suspect foul play --

By Felisa Cardona and Kirk Mitchell - Denver Post Staff Writers - Article Last Updated: 09/23/2007 01:21:56 AM MDT

Detectives and police volunteers combed through trash bins and bushes in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood on Saturday looking for the body of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos, as her mother was held on suspicion of being an accessory to her death.

Authorities asked the public to help locate the girl.

"We think it was foul play," Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said at a news conference. "She is probably in a white plastic bag or a black plastic bag. We need help."

Miriam Gallegos, 20, did not speak and appeared stoic during a hearing earlier in the day at Denver City Jail, at which she wore leg shackles.

"She claimed it was an abduction, and it wasn't, and that is why she is in jail,"

Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said at the news conference.

The arrest of Gallegos came hours after her boyfriend, 22-year-old Angel Ray Montoya, was arrested Friday night on suspicion of first-degree murder.

Whitman said police found a blue duffle bag with black handles in Montoya's possession that police believe was used to carry the girl's body.

Whitman and Morrissey asked people to search trash bins and abandoned buildings for a garbage bag containing the body. Whitman said police are particularly interested in the area between East 6th and East 20th avenues and from Downing Street to Speer Boulevard.

"We're trying to retrace their steps," Whitman said. .....

continued
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_6972544

http://i16.tinypic.com/4r78j9j.jpg
Detectives from the Denver Police Department and volunteers search in dumpsters
in an alley in Denver searching for the missing little girl, Niveah Gallegos. Here
Detective Scott Kunugi, far right, and others search dumpsters.
(Post special / Matthew Staver)

[odette]

Search for missing girl continues Sunday despite grim prognosis

9NEWS - Colarado - posted by: Colleen Locke , Producer - reported by: Kyle Clark , Reporter - created: 9/22/2007 5:57:31 PM - Last updated: 9/23/2007 7:59:26 AM

* VIDEO >> Search for missing girl continues Sunday despite grim prognosis - - September 23, 2007

DENVER – Police and the Denver District Attorney's Office are asking the public to search their dumpsters for a bag which may contain the body of a 3-year-old girl.

Niveah Gallegos is described as about 3 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 40 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a red, long sleeve shirt with a white elephant on the front and red sweatpants. Authorities say she has a scratch on the outside corner of her left eye. .....

continued
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=77790

[odette]

Grim Search for Missing Girl Continues

-- Police: Niveah Gallegos killed by mother, boyfriend --

FOX NEWS - Last Edited: Sunday, 23 Sep 2007, 10:29 AM MDT

* VIDEO >> The Denver Police Chief asks for the public's help to find the body of a 3-year-old girl who investigators believe was murdered. September 22, 2007

DENVER -- Authorities intensified their search in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood Sunday for a three-year-old girl who was missing and presumed dead at the hands of her mother and her boyfriend.

Police believe the body of Niveah Gallegos may have been placed inside a large plastic bag.

Authorities were seen searching trash dumpsters in the area around Speer Blvd. and Lincoln Street. Sunday morning. Police also searched for the child’s body in Cherry Creek. It was unclear what, if any, evidence was found. .....

Continued:
Police: Niveah Gallegos killed by mother, boyfriend (http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4436880&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

[odette]

Search Fails to Turn Up Missing 3-Year-Old

-- Police: Niveah Gallegos killed by mother, boyfriend --

MYFOX COLARADO - Last Edited: Sunday, 23 Sep 2007, 6:19 PM MDT

DENVER -- More than 200 volunteers Sunday were unable to find a missing 3-year-old girl whom police believe was killed. Bloodhounds aiding in the search picked up a scent, but it did not lead to Niveah Gallegos. .....

Continued: -- Videos - Pictures --
Search Fails to Turn Up Missing 3-Year-Old (http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4436880&version=9&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

http://i9.tinypic.com/6glzsiq.jpg
Police and volunteers searched trash dumpsters,
bushes and even Cherry Creek as they searched for
Niveah Gallegos. September 23, 2007.

[odette]

Search for missing toddler comes up empty

-- Police call for public's help again --

by Eli Stokols - News2 - September 24, 2007

DENVER (KWGN) — More than 200 police and volunteer searchers spent Sunday morning looking for the body of a missing three-year-old girl, who police believe was murdered sometime Friday and then disposed of in a plastic garbage bag. .....

EXCERPT: The search will resume Monday morning.

As the work week begins, police are asking businessowners who have been away all weekend to be especially vigilant. Trash pick-up of large dumpsters will also be put on hold in the downtown area. Regular residential trash pickup will continue normally.

"We aren't ruling anything out," Jackson said. "She could be inside, outside, in a laundry room or something. We just don't know. That's why it's important to continue to ask for the public's help."

Continued:
-- Police call for public's help again -- (http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-missing-girl-search-widens,0,5227086.story?coll=kwgn-home-2)

http://i19.tinypic.com/4ouzxpk.jpg
Niveah Gallegos

[odette]

Search halts trash pickup

-- Police suspect 3-year-old's body was thrown in bin --

By Mike McPhee - Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Last Updated: 09/24/2007 12:33:32 AM MDT

After some 200 volunteers spent the weekend futilely searching trash bins, alleys and hallways for the body of a missing 3-year-old girl, the city took the unprecedented move of suspending trash pickup today of Dumpster-size trash bins.

"We're going to request the delay of trash pickup Monday of the larger receptacles," police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. "We're asking all businesses to look in their trash Monday for anything that might be different."

Police remain silent as to what they know of the missing girl, except to say they're confident that she was killed Friday, that the body was wrapped in a plastic trash bag and that they believe the mother's boyfriend tossed the body in a trash bin before he was arrested Friday night.

Police said the mother, Miriam Gallegos, 20, called them Friday afternoon and said that her daughter, Niveah, 3, had been kidnapped by two men in the 1000 block of Cherokee Street. Police immediately issued an Amber Alert, then canceled it a short while later after questioning Gallegos. They arrested her on suspicion of accessory to murder.

Based on information they received, police brought in bloodhounds from Jefferson County on Friday evening. They picked up the scent of Angel Ray Montoya, the 22-year-old boyfriend of Gallegos. Police found him at East 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street about 8 p.m. Friday and arrested him on suspicion of first-degree murder and other charges. He was carrying a dark-blue duffel bag with black straps when police found him. .....

Continued:
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6979968

[odette]

Area scoured for body of 3-year-old

-- Garbage bins, creek searched for missing girl --

By Julie Poppen - Rocky Mountain News - September 24, 2007

Trash collection will be delayed downtown as police continue to look for 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos, who authorities believe was killed and stuffed in a trash bag by her mother's boyfriend.

About 200 police officers and volunteers hit the streets Sunday at 4 a.m. with protective gloves, masks, shovels, sharp sticks and rakes.

They fanned out across Capitol Hill and beyond for a third day in search of the girl with short brown hair and bright brown eyes. They scoured bins, both banks of Cherry Creek, flower beds, doorways and alleys. .....

Continued:
Area scoured for body of 3-year-old (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5705836,00.html)

[odette]

Police Ask For Public's Help To Find 3-Year-Old

-- Police Believe Girl Stuffed In Bag, Put In Trash Can --

ABC7 - THE DENVER CHANNEL - POSTED: 8:42 am MDT September 23, 2007 - UPDATED: 5:30 am MDT September 24, 2007 - VIDEO'S - SLIDESHOW

DENVER, Colo. -- Denver police are searching for a 3-year-old girl they believed to be dead, stuffed in a large plastic bag and dumped somewhere in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

On Sunday, about 200 volunteers and police officers canvassed downtown Denver between Sixth Avenue and 20th Street and Downing Street and Speer Boulevard.

Using search dogs, volunteers searched since 4 a.m. Sunday looking into Dumpsters and around the Cherry Creek and South Platte River for any sign of Niveah Gallegos.

"We went Dumpster by Dumpster, alley by alley, street by street," said police spokesman Sonny Jackson. "We were very systematic in the process."

"It's pretty disheartening to look for such a long time and not come up with anything," Jackson said.

Police continue to ask for help in locating Gallegos.

The public has been asked to look through Dumpsters for a plastic bag that might contain her body.

The Guardian Angels offered their help Sunday night.

"I've got to tell you I've heard a lot of support as we go people say, 'I've checked my Dumpster, keep moving on,'" said Nick Trammell of the Guardian Angels.
Businesses which were closed over the weekend have been asked to check their dumpsters on Monday morning.

Jackson said trash pickup for large Dumpsters will be suspended so police can continue to look for Gallegos. Smaller trash cans will be collected as normal, however.

On Saturday, top law enforcement officials issued a disturbing plea for help from the public.

"It's pretty simple," said District Attorney Mitch Morrisey. "Walk out into your back yard, look through your Dumpsters, help us find this little girl. She's probably in a black plastic bag or white plastic bag." .....

continued:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14183877/detail.html

[Zoey]

"It's pretty simple," said District Attorney Mitch Morrisey. "Walk out into your back yard, look through your Dumpsters, help us find this little girl. She's probably in a black plastic bag or white plastic bag." .....

I just read this in your post Odette and almost threw up. That has got to be the saddest thing I have seen printed in an article yet. I cannot believe what is happening to our young children these days. Why do people do this to their own flesh and blood, WHY?

I don't know what else to say, I am so sickened by this.

To Nivea - my heart goes out to you little one. :rose:

[odette]

Arrest affidavit details investigation in case of missing girl -

Written by: Dan Boniface - Web Producer - and: KUSA - tv , Staff - Last updated: 9/24/2007 12:45:43 PM

DENVER - An arrest affidavit obtained by 9NEWS on Monday revealed the details that led a police investigation away from a kidnapping to a missing child case.

On Friday afternoon, Denver Police were dispatched to the 1100 block of Cherokee after a report that 3-year-old Nevaeh Gallegos has been abducted by a tall white man with red hair and a full beard who was last seen in a white sedan, possibly with one other kidnapper.

According to the arrest affidavit, an officer went to the Gallegos home to look for a picture of the little girl to aid in the search.

That's when they noticed a paper towel with blood or some other kind of bodily fluid on it.

Police say the child abuse unit was called to the apartment and questioned the girl's mother, 20-year-old Miriam Gallegos, and she admitted that when she came home from work, Nevaeh was not breathing.

According to the affidavit, Gallegos says she tried to resuscitate the girl by breathing into her.

That's when, police say in the affidavit, Gallegos' boyfriend 22-year-old Angel Ray Montoya got scared and they both decided to put Nevaeh into a trash bag. The 3-year-old was first placed into a white trash bag and then that bag was put into a black trash bag.

Montoya then left the apartment, but Gallegos says she does not know where he went, the affidavit states. .....

continued:
http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=77878

http://i7.tinypic.com/4v69zx4.jpg
VIEW SLIDESHOW - 20 IMAGES

[odette]

Affidavit: Blood Found At Missing Girl's Home

-- Denver Delays Trash Pickup In Search For Girl --

CBS4 DENVER - Rick Sallinger - Sep 24, 2007 12:02 pm US/Mountain

(CBS4) DENVER CBS4 News has obtained the arrest affidavit in the case of missing 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos. The affidavit says Miriam Gallegos came home to find her 3-year-old dead.

Their apartment is in the 1200 block of Logan Street in downtown Denver. Police went to Miriam Gallegos's apartment to get a picture of the child after Miriam Gallegos reported her daughter missing. She claimed a man kidnapped her child near 11th and Cherokee.

While Denver police officers were at the apartment, they reported seeing a paper towel with blood on it.

The affidavit claims Gallegos had been told to come home from her job earlier that day by her boyfriend, Angel Ray Montoya. She was not told why. When Miriam Gallegos got to her apartment, the child was not breathing. She and her boyfriend tried to put air into the child, according to the report.

The couple allegedly decided not to call an ambulance. They put Niveah in trash bags, one white, one black. Those bags were then put into a royal blue duffle bag.

The affidavit states Montoya left with the body in a duffle bag. He was last seen walking north on Logan Street in downtown Denver.

Miriam Gallegos, Niveah's biological mother, faces charges of accessory to murder. .....

continued:
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_267140442.html

[odette]

Mom Says Dead Girl Put Into Two Bags, Then In Duffel Bag

ABC7 NEWS - UPDATED: 1:14 pm MDT September 24, 2007 - VIDEO'S

DENVER -- The mother who had initially claimed her daughter had been kidnapped admitted to police that the 3-year-old girl was dead and that she and her boyfriend decided to place the girl in a plastic bag, according to an arrest affidavit released Monday.

Miriam Gallegos, 20, told officers that while she at at work on Friday afternoon, her boyfriend called her and told her to come home right away, but wouldn't say why. .....

EXCERPT: She said she and her boyfriend, Angel Ray Montoya, were scared so instead of calling an ambulance or police, they decided to place the girl in a white plastic trash bag, cover that with another black plastic bag and place that bag in a blue duffel bag with yellow handles, according to the arrest affidavit.

Then she said they both went to an alley behind their apartment and that's when she and Montoya went in separate directions, according to the affidavit. She told officers that the last she saw of Montoya, he was carrying the duffel bag with Niveah inside.

CONTINUED:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14192012/detail.html

[odette]

3-year-old girl's body believed found

Missing Girl
* Watch video about the search for Niveah Gallegos.
* Read an arrest affidavit in the case (PDF, 19 MB).

By John Ingold - Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Last Updated: 09/24/2007 06:20:19 PM MDT - VIDEO

Denver police officers scouring the city for a missing 3-year-old girl found what they believe is her body this afternoon.

Officers found the body about 4:45 p.m. in a ravine near the 1100 block of Perry Street. The location, in west Denver, is well outside the designated search area police had earlier announced, and it is unclear whether officers had specific information directing them to the area. Detectives are currently processing the scene.

It was a grim end to the search for Niveah Gallegos, and it came three days after police arrested her mother and her mother's boyfriend in connection with the death. .....

EXCERPT: While Gallegos has only a minor criminal history in Colorado, Montoya's is more extensive. According to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, he was arrested as a juvenile for indecent exposure and is now a registered sex offender.

Montoya was convicted of child abuse in 2005. In that case, a 4-year-old boy who said he was Montoya's son said Montoya choked him because "he was in trouble for being bad for his mother," according to an arrest affidavit in that case. The boy's mother is not Gallegos.

The boy suffered bruises on his forehead, temples, chin, throat, shoulder, arms, feet and cheeks, according to the affidavit.

Finally, Montoya's arrest affidavit in the homicide case says Denver police investigated him for sexual assault in 2006. Because of a redaction in the affidavit, it is unclear who the victim in the case is. Denver police spokesman John White said the case involves a juvenile. According to the affidavit, the case was dropped because Gallegos did not cooperate with detectives.
continued:
http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_6985082

[odette]

Grim end to hunt for girl

-- Affidavit says 2 put body in trash bags --

Missing Girl
* Watch video about the search for Niveah Gallegos.
* Read an arrest affidavit in the case (PDF, 19 MB).

By John Ingold and Manny Gonzales - Denver Post Staff Writers - Article Last Updated: 09/25/2007 01:38:10 AM MDT

Denver police officers, after searching through mud and garbage, found what they believe is the body of a missing 3-year-old girl Monday afternoon.

Officers found the body about 4:45 p.m. in a shallow ravine in Lakewood and Dry Gulch Park near the 1100 block of Perry Street. The location, in west Denver, is well outside the search area police had earlier announced. It was unclear whether officers had specific information directing them to the area.

The discovery came three days after police arrested Niveah's mother, Miriam Gallegos, and her mother's boyfriend, Angel Montoya, in connection with the death.

An arrest affidavit released Monday reveals that Denver police investigated Montoya last year for allegedly sexually assaulting Niveah. But authorities never filed charges against Montoya, a registered sex offender, because Gallegos did not cooperate with detectives, the affidavit states. .....

continued:
http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_6989086

http://i10.tinypic.com/2eyketc.jpg
Denver Coloner team and police officers are in the scene of near 11th Avenue and
Perry Street where the body of Nevaeh Gallegos found on Monday afternoon.
(Post / Hyoung Chang)

[odette]

Little girl's body found in west Denver

By Alan Gathright and Julie Poppen - Rocky Mountain News - September 24, 2007

The four-day search for 3-year- old Niveah Gallegos ended Monday when Denver police removed a body they believe is the missing child from a ravine.

"It helps bring closure to the families, the grandparents, and the community of Denver," said Lt. Ron Saunier, spokesman for Denver police.

The search for Niveah was suspended after police went to the ravine near 11th Avenue and Perry Street at 4:45 p.m.

Saunier declined to say how police knew where to find the body, saying that he did not want to jeopardize the district attorney's case.

The site is more than 31/2 miles west of where the child lived at 12th Avenue and Logan Street.

An autopsy by the Denver coroner's office will determine the cause of death and identity of the body. .....

EXCERPT: On Monday, a number of residents and passerbys gathered near the ravine where Niveah's body was found.

Two bike paths converge near the ravine, which is covered with grass and brush. Water can be seen and heard trickling in parts of the ravine. A sign along one of the bike paths indicated that the area was part of the Lakewood disc golf course.

"I wish I brought flowers," said a woman who refused to give her name but said she lived nearby.

"I just wanted to say a prayer for her. It's horrible. I don't understand how a parent can do this to their child," the woman said. "I just hope that they get punished for what they did. It's such a shock."

continued:
Little girl's body found in west Denver (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5706240,00.html)

http://i24.tinypic.com/ofsu1s.jpg
Authorities remove the body of a little girl from
a ravine near Perry Street and 11th Avenue.
They believe it is the body of 3-year-old Niveah
Gallegos.

[odette]

Montoya became sex offender as a juvenile

By By Hector Gutierrez - Rocky Mountain News - September 24, 2007

Within the last three years Angel R. Montoya lived on the edge with two small children, including little Niveah Gallegos, who was found dead in west Denver Monday.

Both cases happened after he failed to register as a sex offender in 2003. He had been a sex offenders since his days as a juvenile.

Police investigated Montoya twice since January 2005 on allegations that he sexually abused Niveah and tried to choke and bound a 4-year-old boy.

The circumstances surrounding last week's disappearance of Niveah and her murder appeared to be an eerie rerun of the case involving the small boy, according to court papers.

Just as Nivea was left with Montoya to babysit while her mother went to work, the mother of the little boy left her son with Montoya while she headed out to her job on Jan. 22, 2005, detectives wrote in their affidavit. .....

continued:
Montoya became sex offender as a juvenile (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5706415,00.html)

Related Link: # Affidavit and application for arrest warrant
http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/pdf/092407affidavit.pdf

[odette]

Body found in search for girl

-- Remains miles from where 3-year-old lived --

By Tillie Fong, Alan Gathright And Julie Poppen, Rocky Mountain News - September 25, 2007

The four-day search for 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos ended Monday, when Denver police removed a body they believe is the missing child from a ravine.

"It helps bring closure to the families, the grandparents and the community of Denver," said Lt. Ron Saunier, spokesman for Denver police.

The search for Niveah was suspended after police went to the ravine in Lakewood Gulch Park near West 11th Avenue and Perry Street at 4:45 p.m. .....

continued:
Body found in search for girl (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5706511,00.html)

[odette]

Police finding missing girl's body

-- Family friends still in shock over killing --

-- VIDEO >> Body Of Murdered Toddler Found

by Ginger Delgado - News2 - September 25, 2007

DENVER (KWGN) — It was a devastating discovery Monday night as Denver Police announced they have found the body of Nevaeh Gallegos. The little girl's body was found in a shallow ravine near 11th and Perry St. in West Denver at 4:45 p.m.

Police believe the little girl was killed on Friday by her mother's boyfriend, Angel Montoya. Friends of the little girl, as well as some members of the community who helped search for her since Friday, showed up at the scene where her body was found. Many police officers who worked on the case were there too. .....

continued:
Police finding missing girl's body (http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-gallegos-body-found,0,804945.story?coll=kwgn-home-2)

[odette]

Mother Charged in 3-Year-Old's Death

11ALIVE - Provided By: NBC News - Last Modified: 9/25/2007 10:10:46 AM - Video Available » Thanh Truong Reports

Police in Denver, Colorado say they have found the body of a young child they believe to be that of missing 3-year-old Nevaeh Gallegos.

Her mother, Miriam Gallegos, and her mother's boyfriend, Angel Montoya, are both behind bars charged in the girl's death.

A family friend, Rebecca Borrego, said, "She was happy. She was a happy little girl and would always run around with a big smile on her face."

Rebecca Borego is a high school friend of Mirriam Gallegos', the mother suspected of being an accessory in the murder of her own daughter.

"She loved her daughter like she was everything to her, now that I hear this I don't even know what to think of her anymore," Borego said. .....

continued:
Mother Charged in 3-Year-Old's Death (http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=103640)

http://i20.tinypic.com/s2xz0l.jpg
Nevaeh Gallegos :rose:

[odette]

DENVER POST - Article Last Updated: 09/25/2007 10:26:48 AM MDT

http://i20.tinypic.com/14m53q9.jpg

http://origin.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_6989086

[odette]

Child's Body Found In Trash Bag

-- Mom: Dead Toddler Put Into Two Bags, Duffel Bag --

ABC7 NEWS - POSTED: 5:28 am MDT September 25, 2007

3-YEAR-OLD GIRL KILLED
# Images: Search For Missing Girl
# Arrest Affidavit: Miriam Gallegos
# Arrest Affidavit: Angel Montoya
# Video: Girl's Body Found
# Video: Police Release Arrest Affidavits
# Video: Search Moves Into Third Day
# Video: Police Ask What Happened?
# Video: Public Asked To Search
# Video: Suspect Captured, Girl Still Missing

DENVER -- An autopsy was scheduled Tuesday on the body of the 3-year-old girl that was discovered Monday in a trash bag dumped in a ravine at Lakewood Gulch Park.

Police officers found the body of Niveah Gallegos in a wooded area at 11th Avenue and Perry Street at about 4:45 p.m.

The grim discovery ended a four-day search centered in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, where police made a plea to the public to look through their Dumpsters and outdoor trash bins for the girl's body.

"The body was found in much like we were expecting to look for," said Lt. Ron Saunier, with the Denver Police Department. "This is an emotional deal," he said. "Anytime you have a kid involved, it is a tragic situation."

Police believe they believe Niveah was dumped by her mother's boyfriend Friday afternoon. .....

EXCERPT: "It is a shame that this happened and the truth is, the man who we all think around here is the father, should have never been allowed to see her," said Elizabeth Murray, the grandmother's next door neighbor. "Because something like this was bound to happen, he was crazy."

Montoya's arrest affidavit also stated that in July 2006, Montoya was investigated in connection with an alleged sexual assault on "a victim." The case was dropped because Gallegos would not cooperate with police.

Meanwhile, neighbors living near Niveah's grandmother's house said they often saw Gallegos and Montoya yelling at each other in the street. They said Niveah and Gallegos lived at the grandmother's home for a while, and that the grandmother basically raised the child.

"(The grandmother) is a mess. She's walking around all the alleys and checking all the trash cans trying to look for her granddaughter," said Murray. "It's just a shame that that man got ahold of that little baby because that never should have happened."
continued:
Child's Body Found In Trash Bag (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14197541/detail.html)

[Zoey]

To you Niveah - my heart goes out to you for the pain you suffered at the hands of these monsters. You are in a better place now, where no one will ever hurt you again. :rose: :rose:

[odette]

Exclusive: Girl Showed Signs Of Sex Assault

-- Denver Human Services Closed Case, Saying Allegations Unfounded --

ABC7 - THE DENVER CHANNEL -POSTED: 9:53 pm MDT September 25, 2007 - UPDATED: 11:55 pm MDT September 25, 2007

DENVER -- The death of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos is not only being investigated by Denver police, it's now being investigated by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Last year, both Denver Human Services and the Denver Police Department investigated reports that the girl was sexually assaulted.

The only suspect in that case, Angel Ray Montoya, is now behind bars, accused of killing her and dumping her body in a ravine.

In July 2006, Niveah was found to be bleeding in her diaper after a stay with her mother's boyfriend -- Montoya.

She was taken to the doctor and then examined at the Denver Family Crisis Center, where both Denver police and the Denver Department of Human Services got involved.

When examined at the crisis center, sources familiar with the case told 7NEWS that doctors confirmed that the child showed signs of sexual assault. .....

continued:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14205848/detail.html

[odette]

Makeshift Memorials Pay Tribute To Niveah Gallegos

Jaclyn Allen, 7NEWS Reporter - UPDATED: 8:16 pm MDT September 25, 2007

3-YEAR-OLD GIRL KILLED
# Images: Search For Missing Girl
# Video: Signs Of Sexual Assault
# Video: Community Mourns Girl
# Video: Girl's Body Found
# Video: Arrest Affidavits Released
# Video: Search Moves Into Third Day
# Video: Police Ask What Happened?
# Video: Public Asked To Search
# Video: Suspect Captured
# Arrest Affidavit: Miriam Gallegos
# Arrest Affidavit: Angel Montoya

DENVER, Colo. -- As the investigation moves forward into the death of a 3-year-old Denver girl, the community pauses to pay tribute.

Two makeshift memorials now stand near the ravine where police found the body of Niveah Gallegos Monday afternoon.

A steady stream of people stopped to pray or to cry throughout the day Tuesday.

A church near where the Gallegos body was found plans to hold a candlelight vigil Wednesday night around 7 p.m. .....

continued:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14204869/detail.html

:rose:

[odette]

Strangers pause to remember young murder victim

Passersby to the site where Nevaeh Gallegos' body was found stop to honor her memory

CW2 - by Ginger Delgado, News2 - September 25, 2007

DENVER (KWGN) — Dozens of strangers on Tuesday came to the site where the body of 3-year-old Nevaeh Gallegos was found, to pay their respects to a little girl they never knew.

Ray Perez says he felt moved to make a wooden cross. It's not something he expected to do today, but rather something he wanted to do for Nevaeh.

"This is the first time I've ever done this and it feels good. I just felt like I had to stop to do this," said Perez, and so on the way home, along a path he walks every day, Perez stopped to nail a cross for the tiny victim. The girl's body was found in the area Monday night wrapped in a trash bag. .....

continued:
Strangers pause to remember young murder victim (http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-gallegos-body-site,0,5455654.story?coll=kwgn-home-2)

[odette]

3-year-old positively ID'd

By Kirk Mitchell - Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Launched: 09/26/2007 11:57:40 AM MDT

The Denver coroner's office has confirmed that the body of a child discarded in Dry Gulch Park to be that of Niveah Gallegos.

But the autopsy report, which will determine the cause of death, could take months to complete because of all the tests that need to be done, said Michelle Weiss-Samaras, Denver's chief deputy coroner. .....

http://test.denverpost.com/news/ci_7004934

[odette]

State investigates agencies' handling of Niveah case

-- Girl's alleged killer violated probation in child-abuse case --

By Myung Oak Kim and Julie Poppen - Rocky Mountain News - September 26, 2007

The Colorado Department of Human Services is launching an investigation into the involvement of child welfare agencies with the 3-year-old girl whose body was found Monday in west Denver.

Niveah Gallegos was allegedly killed by her mother's boyfriend, Angel Ray Montoya, and dumped in a ravine, authorities said.

The Denver Department of Human Services received a report in July 2006 that Montoya may have been sexually abusing the girl.

At that time, Denver police began investigating reports that Montoya was molesting Niveah, but the probe stalled because the girl's mother refused to cooperate, according to a police statement supporting Montoya's arrest in Niveah's Friday disappearance.

Montoya was a repeat sex offender with a prior conviction for assaulting a 4-year-old boy and failing to register as a sex offender with police. .....

continued:
State investigates agencies' handling of Niveah case (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5707544,00.html)

[odette]

Mom stalled '06 complaint

-- Police were unable to proceed in sex-assault investigation --

By Arthur Kane Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Launched: 09/26/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT

A complaint that a sexual assault may have been committed against a Denver girl who was later killed was made to police by someone with the Denver Department of Human Services.

But while police said they could not gather enough evidence to prosecute Angel Ray Montoya, 22, for allegedly sexually assaulting Niveah Gallegos last year, it is unclear what Human Services did to protect the girl before her death Friday.

Niveah's death comes about four months after another boy, Chandler Grafner, died after Denver Human Services workers did not investigate a complaint from his school that he had been missing for a month.

The Colorado Department of Human Services announced Tuesday that it would do a fatality review in the Gallegos case, which should be completed within 45 days of her death. .....

continued:
http://origin.denverpost.com/ci_6998714

[odette]

Neighbors build memorial for little girl

By Julie Poppen - Rocky Mountain News - September 25, 2007

The man who police suspect killed a 3-year-old girl and dumped her body in a ravine had gotten out of jail in July and was not under court supervision when he was arrested.

Authorities on Tuesday said that 22-year-old Angel Ray Montoya served six months in Denver County Jail for violating terms of his probation in a 2005 child-abuse case — not involving Niveah Gallegos — after not reporting to his probation officer or attending parenting classes. .....

EXCERPT: Montoya is a registered sex offender who, as a juvenile, was picked up at least three times between 1999 and 2002 for indecent exposure. His juvenile records remain sealed.

He served an 180-day sentence in 2003 related to one of the indecent-exposure charges, said Denver Sheriff's Capt. Frank Gale.

Montoya was given credit for time served when he was slapped with a 60-day jail sentence for failing to register as a sex offender in 2003.

Since then Montoya has registered eight times and his name appears on a list of the state's 9,616 sex offenders. The state requires offenders to register yearly or twice a year or when they move.

Montoya also served three months in jail in 2005 on a misdemeanor child abuse conviction. He was placed on probation when he was released in July 2005, but he violated the terms of probation and was sent back to jail.

continued:
Neighbors build memorial for little girl (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5707297,00.html)

[odette]

Hundreds attend vigil for tiny victim

By Kieran Nicholson - Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Launched: 09/26/2007 03:55:19 PM MDT

Hundreds of people showed up tonightnight at a candle-light vigil in west Denver to celebrate the short life of a 3-year-old girl whose body was found in a nearby shallow ravine.

The Set Free Church of Denver, 1001 Perry St., and other nearby churches lead family members and friends of the child, Niveah Gallegos, and more than 200 supporters in prayer and song.

A memorial made up mostly of teddy bears, pink ballons and flowers filled a rock garden on the edge of Lakewood Gulch Park along Perry Street between 10th and 13th Avenues. Another, smaller memorial, including a wooden cross with the girl's name spelled out on it, rose along the ravine nearby when the girl's body was found Monday.

Many in the crowd silently wiped away tears and at least one man wept openly, sobbing and crying aloud. .....

continued:
http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_7006320

[odette]

Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch

CBS4 DENVER - Raj Chohan - Sep 26, 2007 7:18 pm US/Mountain

(CBS4) DENVER - The mother of a child found dead in a ravine this week is now under suicide watch in jail and state social services is investigating what the young victim had been through in her short life.

Angel Ray Montoya, suspected in the death of 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos, was suspected of sexually abusing her a year ago.

Neveah's Mother, Miriam Gallegos, and Montoya are both under suicide watch in jail after telling corrections officers they wanted to kill themselves. CBS4 found out after asking to interview them Wednesday.

At a make-shift memorial in the park where police found the body of Neveah, there's unmistakable heartbreak, even among those who'd never met the child.

"It was really sad, really, you could almost feel it in the air," Robert Lee from Set Free Church said. .....

continued:
Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch (http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_269212003.html)

[odette]

Candlelight Vigil Held for 3-Year-Old Neveah Gallegos

-- Dozens gather at ravine where Neveah's body was found --

MYFOX - COLARDO - By KIM POSEY, Reporter - Last Edited: Tuesday, 25 Sep 2007, 9:51 PM MDT

DENVER -- Dozens of people gathered Tuesday night near 11th and Perry to remember 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos. A body- believed to be Neveah was found in a ravine near there Monday night.

"We lost an Angel," one man said to the crowd. They lit candles and said prayers. ....

continued:
Candlelight Vigil Held for 3-Year-Old Neveah Gallegos (http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4461601&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

http://i23.tinypic.com/1i0l69.jpg
Dozens laid flowers and stuffed animals along the ravine where
the body of Neveah Gallegos was found.
September 25 - 2007

[One2Snoop]

Exclusive: Girl Showed Signs Of Sex Assault

-- Denver Human Services Closed Case, Saying Allegations Unfounded --

ABC7 - THE DENVER CHANNEL -POSTED: 9:53 pm MDT September 25, 2007 - UPDATED: 11:55 pm MDT September 25, 2007

DENVER -- The death of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos is not only being investigated by Denver police, it's now being investigated by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Last year, both Denver Human Services and the Denver Police Department investigated reports that the girl was sexually assaulted.

The only suspect in that case, Angel Ray Montoya, is now behind bars, accused of killing her and dumping her body in a ravine.

In July 2006, Niveah was found to be bleeding in her diaper after a stay with her mother's boyfriend -- Montoya.

She was taken to the doctor and then examined at the Denver Family Crisis Center, where both Denver police and the Denver Department of Human Services got involved.

When examined at the crisis center, sources familiar with the case told 7NEWS that doctors confirmed that the child showed signs of sexual assault. .....

continued:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14205848/detail.html


:cuss: :flamemad: :cuss: String him up by his you know what and be done with him. What the heck is wrong with this perverted sob? She's a 3yr old little girl for cripes sake. :flamemad:

For Niveah :rose: You're in gods hands now precious angel.

[odette]

:cuss: :flamemad: :cuss: String him up by his you know what and be done with him. What the heck is wrong with this perverted sob? She's a 3yr old little girl for cripes sake. :flamemad:

For Niveah :rose: You're in gods hands now precious angel.

I see in the article, which you just quoted, that the abusing was happening when little Neveah was just 23 months old!!. :flamemad:

For Little Neveah :rose:

[dallasvic]

:cuss: :flamemad: :cuss: String him up by his you know what and be done with him. What the heck is wrong with this perverted sob? She's a 3yr old little girl for cripes sake. :flamemad:

For Niveah :rose: You're in gods hands now precious angel.


You took the word right out of my mouth

for Nive:rose: :rose: :rose:

[bluemoon]

Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch

CBS4 DENVER - Raj Chohan - Sep 26, 2007 7:18 pm US/Mountain

(CBS4) DENVER - The mother of a child found dead in a ravine this week is now under suicide watch in jail and state social services is investigating what the young victim had been through in her short life.

Angel Ray Montoya, suspected in the death of 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos, was suspected of sexually abusing her a year ago.

Neveah's Mother, Miriam Gallegos, and Montoya are both under suicide watch in jail after telling corrections officers they wanted to kill themselves. CBS4 found out after asking to interview them Wednesday.

At a make-shift memorial in the park where police found the body of Neveah, there's unmistakable heartbreak, even among those who'd never met the child.

"It was really sad, really, you could almost feel it in the air," Robert Lee from Set Free Church said. .....

continued:
Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch (http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_269212003.html)

Please, give them a rope!

[odette]

Grief unites neighbors in vigil for slain girl

- Hundreds of people showed up, some sobbing openly, to mourn for a 3-year-old whose body was found nearby. -

By Kieran Nicholson - Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Launched: 09/27/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT

Hundreds of people showed up Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil in west Denver to celebrate the life of a 3-year-old girl whose body was found in a shallow ravine.

The Set Free Church of Denver, 1001 Perry St., and other churches nearby led relatives and friends of Niveah Gallegos and more than 200 supporters in prayer and song. .....

continued:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7010136

http://i23.tinypic.com/dqkqdz.gif
Joel Puc, 8, lights a candle Wednesday night among many at a west Denver memorial for
3-year-old Niveah Gallegos, who lived nearby. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)

[Jo_Momma_82]

Grief unites neighbors in vigil for slain girl

- Hundreds of people showed up, some sobbing openly, to mourn for a 3-year-old whose body was found nearby. -

By Kieran Nicholson - Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Launched: 09/27/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT

Hundreds of people showed up Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil in west Denver to celebrate the life of a 3-year-old girl whose body was found in a shallow ravine.

The Set Free Church of Denver, 1001 Perry St., and other churches nearby led relatives and friends of Niveah Gallegos and more than 200 supporters in prayer and song. .....

continued:
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7010136

http://i23.tinypic.com/dqkqdz.gif

Joel Puc, 8, lights a candle Wednesday night among many at a west Denver memorial for

3-year-old Niveah Gallegos, who lived nearby. (Post / Helen H. Richardson)
THANK GOD...... a reminder that there are still sympathetic people in this world ! Everyone on this board as well , through all of the horror posted on here, you guys warm my heart with your posts for the victims we read about !!! :rose:

Niveah... bless you.... :rose:

[Canadian Bum]

Exclusive: Girl Showed Signs Of Sex Assault

-- Denver Human Services Closed Case, Saying Allegations Unfounded --

ABC7 - THE DENVER CHANNEL -POSTED: 9:53 pm MDT September 25, 2007 - UPDATED: 11:55 pm MDT September 25, 2007

DENVER -- The death of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos is not only being investigated by Denver police, it's now being investigated by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Last year, both Denver Human Services and the Denver Police Department investigated reports that the girl was sexually assaulted.

The only suspect in that case, Angel Ray Montoya, is now behind bars, accused of killing her and dumping her body in a ravine.

In July 2006, Niveah was found to be bleeding in her diaper after a stay with her mother's boyfriend -- Montoya.

She was taken to the doctor and then examined at the Denver Family Crisis Center, where both Denver police and the Denver Department of Human Services got involved.

When examined at the crisis center, sources familiar with the case told 7NEWS that doctors confirmed that the child showed signs of sexual assault. .....

continued:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14205848/detail.html
JULY 2006 :confused: :flamemad: Too little done... too late. RIP little one :rose: Niveah

[odette]

Death of 3-year-old Neveah is tearing her family apart

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News, September 28, 2007

A relative of 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos said today the little's girl's death has caused deep pain for the family.

"The family is in a lot of grief and sorrow at this point," said Judith Miller, of Golden. "It's tearing them apart. It's been very hard on everyone."

She said today that Neveah was shy "like most girls are that age."

"She was shy and mischievous, and she loved being around family and the family absolutely adored her."

Miller is a second cousin of Neveah. She said the family is close, but that she was not close to the girl's mother, Miriam Gallegos, 20. .....

EXCERPT: Funeral services for Neveah are pending. A metro resident has offered to pay for a burial plot, and Alpine Monument owner Ginny Cammack offered to donate a headstone for Neveah.

"It will show that at least someone remembers her and cares," Cammack said. "It's just so sad, poor little thing. What a tragic little life. She fell through the system."

When told of the outpouring, Miller said: "That's just awesome, awesome."

continued
Death of 3-year-old Neveah is tearing her family apart (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5709804,00.html)

[odette]

Denver Human Services To Undergo Review

Niveah, Chandler's Cases Shine Spotlight On Department

thedenverchannel.com - UPDATED: 3:38 pm MDT September 28, 2007

DENVER -- The Denver Department of Human Services will undergo a third-party review of its child protection practices after 7NEWS Investigators uncovered disturbing details about the department's handling of cases of children who were eventually killed -- Chandler Grafner and Niveah Gallegos.

Chandler was the 7-year-old child who was allegedly starved to death by his guardians. Niveah was the 3-year-old girl who was found in a ravine in West Denver this week.

Denver Human Services had at one time opened child abuse investigations involving both children.

A 7NEWS investigation found that Denver Human Services knew more than a year ago that then 23-month-old Niveah showed physical signs of sexual abuse.

Her mother's boyfriend, a registered sex offender, was the only suspect, yet Denver Human Services did not go to court and remove the child from the mother. Instead they opened a voluntary case to monitor the family. The case was later closed as unfounded because the girl's mother would not cooperate with the investigation. .....

continued
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14222542/detail.html

[odette]

Couple to be freed in death of child; investigation continues

kjct8.com - Associated Press - October 1, 2007 2:44 PM ET

DENVER (AP) - Denver prosecutors say two people who were arrested in the death of a 3-year-old girl are being released without charges but the investigation is continuing.

Neveah Gallegos' body was found in Denver about a week ago. The cause of death hasn't been released.

District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said Monday was the deadline to file charges or release the suspects. He said prosecutors are still waiting for autopsy reports before deciding. .....

http://kjct8.com/Global/story.asp?S=7152656

[odette]

Neveah's mother, boyfriend out of jail

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News - October 1, 2007

The mother and boyfriend suspected in the death of a 3-year-old girl whose body was dumped in a ravine are now free, following their release from jail this afternoon.

Prosecutors and police are waiting for the official autopsy report on Neveah Gallegos, which might take several weeks, before deciding whether to file charges against the pair, district attorney's office spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough said.

The DA's office successfully sought two extensions before formally filing charges. The deadline for filing charges was four.

"By law, suspects cannot be held in custody indefinitely," Kimbrough said. .....

continued
Neveah's mother, boyfriend out of jail (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5711825,00.html)

[dallasvic]

:cuss: :flamemad: :cuss: String him up by his you know what and be done with him. What the heck is wrong with this perverted sob? She's a 3yr old little girl for cripes sake. :flamemad:

For Niveah :rose: You're in gods hands now precious angel.


COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF:cuss: :flamemad: :flamemad: :flamemad: :cuss:

[odette]

Suspects in death of 3-year-old now out of jail

9news.com - Last updated: 10/1/2007 5:06:19 PM -

DENVER – Both of the suspects in the death of a 3-year-old girl walked out of the jail on Monday afternoon after being released.

Angel Ray Montoya, 22, and Miriam Gallegos, 20, were released from the Denver County Jail around 3:30 p.m. by the Denver District Attorney's office.

They were being held in the death Gallegos' daughter, Nevaeh, whose body was found last week, three days after Denver Police say her mother had falsely reported her missing. .....

continued
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=78321

http://i22.tinypic.com/2v1vnh1.jpg
Suspects in death of 3-year-old now out of jail

[One2Snoop]

Released! Unbelievable! :flamemad:

[sallynuts]

You took the word right out of my mouth

for Nive:rose: :rose: :rose:

Ditto... also you always write as your signature: you do the crime you do the time....

When are these turdmunching maggots going to do the time for the crime??? Our laws... and i'm talking international here... let these scumsucking dirtbags off... all the time... they get free legal representation,,, then its the victim who has to prove that he (and it usually is a he, no bias intended), is guilty!! there is something wrong with our laws....

I for one,, would shoot the scumbags.... if they were 100% guilty,,, no questions asked,, and no parole...

I,, am as sick as every one else.... lets make a difference,,,,

'Vodka Doesn't Freeze' a novel by Leah Giarratano

[puppies]

Candlelight Vigil Held for 3-Year-Old Neveah Gallegos

-- Dozens gather at ravine where Neveah's body was found --

MYFOX - COLARDO - By KIM POSEY, Reporter - Last Edited: Tuesday, 25 Sep 2007, 9:51 PM MDT

DENVER -- Dozens of people gathered Tuesday night near 11th and Perry to remember 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos. A body- believed to be Neveah was found in a ravine near there Monday night.

"We lost an Angel," one man said to the crowd. They lit candles and said prayers. ....

continued:
Candlelight Vigil Held for 3-Year-Old Neveah Gallegos (http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4461601&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1)

http://i23.tinypic.com/1i0l69.jpg
Dozens laid flowers and stuffed animals along the ravine where
the body of Neveah Gallegos was found.
September 25 - 2007

this pic made me cry

[Zoey]

Suspects in death of 3-year-old now out of jail

9news.com - Last updated: 10/1/2007 5:06:19 PM -

DENVER – Both of the suspects in the death of a 3-year-old girl walked out of the jail on Monday afternoon after being released.

Angel Ray Montoya, 22, and Miriam Gallegos, 20, were released from the Denver County Jail around 3:30 p.m. by the Denver District Attorney's office.

They were being held in the death Gallegos' daughter, Nevaeh, whose body was found last week, three days after Denver Police say her mother had falsely reported her missing. .....

continued
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=78321

http://i22.tinypic.com/2v1vnh1.jpg
Suspects in death of 3-year-old now out of jail


WHAT??? You have got to be kidding me. They have been released? What in the hell is wrong with our judicial system that murderers are allowed to walk out of a prison that they should be rotting in? I cannot comprehend this at all. I am just fuming. :flamemad:

[dallasvic]

I can't believe this. I hope they don't run

[Angie1960]

What is WRONG with these people - they CONFESSED to puting her in garbage bags - AAAAAIIIIIIGGGGGHYHHHH!!! :flamemad: :flamemad: :flamemad:

[odette]

Family of former victim upset that suspect in 3-year-old's death out of jail

9news.com - posted by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer - written by: Cheryl Preheim, Anchor/Reporter - 10/1/2007 PM

DENVER - The family of a boy who was abused by Angel Ray Montoya has a warning for the community.

"He's going to do it again. If he did it to my child what is going to stop him he's going to do it to someone else," said Andrea Martinez.

Montoya was released from jail on Monday after he was accused of first-degree murder in the death of 3-year-old Nevaeh Gallegos. Nevaeh's 20-year-old mother, Miriam Gallegos, was also released from jail on Monday. The Denver District Attorney's office released them because no formal charges have been filed against them.

The difficulty in filing the charges stems from the ongoing investigation into the girl's death as well as the medical report which is in progress and generally takes several weeks for test results to return.

Until suspects are formally charged, they can only be held in Colorado for three regular working days.

n 2005, Montoya was sentenced to 18 months probation for abusing Martinez's then 5-year-old son.

Martinez had been dating Montoya at the time. She says she came home to find her son unresponsive. She says Montoya admitted to choking, then tying up her son and kicking and punching him until he couldn't talk.

The child was rushed to Denver Health Medical Center.

"He hospitalized my baby for five days. It destroyed him and it destroyed me," said Martinez.

When she heard that Montoya had been released from jail she said, "It's heartbreaking to know that he is out and knowing that he is accused of killing an innocent child." .....

continued
Family of former victim upset that suspect in 3-year-old's death out of jail (http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=78353)

[odette]

Answers lacking in earlier inquiry

By Arthur Kane The Denver Post - Article Launched: 10/03/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT

Doctors who examined then-23- month-old Neveah Gallegos found evidence of sexual abuse, but Denver Human Services workers closed the case less than six months later, saying there were "no child protection concerns at this time," internal Human Services documents show.

Police also did not prosecute the case, saying the mother, Miriam Gallegos, was not cooperating and the boyfriend, Angel Ray Montoya, would not talk.

Councilman Doug Linkhart, who chairs the committee that oversees police and is vice chair of the committee that oversees human services, questioned why the 2006 sexual assault allegation was not pursued given the medical examination.

"I'm surprised police couldn't do more based on the evidence," he said. "Why would you expect the parents to cooperate?"

Police spokesman Detective John White did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. .....

Excerpt: The documents in Neveah's case show that her mother, aunt and grandmother brought her to Denver Health in July 2006 for vaginal bleeding and that was when doctors found something had penetrated her vaginal canal and a small "hymenal tear indicating possible SA (sexual abuse)." Miriam Gallegos is repeatedly quoted in the documents, saying she doesn't believe her daughter was sexually abused.

The hospital notified Human Services, and officials there contacted police.

Police tried to investigate the case, but said in court documents that it was dropped when Gallegos did not cooperate.
Article Continued
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7066458

[odette]

http://i22.tinypic.com/2eyayhk.jpg
Niveah Gallegos. :rose:
(MATTHEW STAVER)

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_7066458

[puppies]

Suspects in death of 3-year-old now out of jail

9news.com - Last updated: 10/1/2007 5:06:19 PM -

DENVER – Both of the suspects in the death of a 3-year-old girl walked out of the jail on Monday afternoon after being released.

Angel Ray Montoya, 22, and Miriam Gallegos, 20, were released from the Denver County Jail around 3:30 p.m. by the Denver District Attorney's office.

They were being held in the death Gallegos' daughter, Nevaeh, whose body was found last week, three days after Denver Police say her mother had falsely reported her missing. .....

continued
http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=78321

http://i22.tinypic.com/2v1vnh1.jpg
Suspects in death of 3-year-old now out of jail


hand them over to me:flamemad: :punch: :punch:

[odette]

Nevaeh Gallegos buried after private funeral

-- Service took place while girl's mother and boyfriend were in custody --

http://i13.tinypic.com/4mx4d3l.gif » Nevaeh Gallegos buried after private funeral

by Ginger Delgado, News2 - October 2, 2007

DENVER (KWGN) — The funeral for three-year-old Nevaeh Gallegos took place last Friday in a private ceremony in Denver. Gallegos is believed to have been murdered two weeks ago. Her body was found in a ravine in a Denver Park.

News2 has confirmed the medical examiner turned over Gallegos' body to her maternal grandmother last week and the girl's grandmother held a private funeral service for her last Friday at 3:00 p.m. .....

Article Continued:
Nevaeh Gallegos buried after private funeral (http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-gallegos-buried,0,824317.story?coll=kwgn-home-2)

[dallasvic]

:rose: Poor child:rose:

[odette]

Neighbors react to murder suspects' release

9news.com/news - posted by: TaRhonda Thomas , Reporter - Last updated: 10/2/2007

DENVER - Neighbors say they were upset when they saw Angel Montoya and Miriam Gallegos walking free Monday afternoon. The two had been accused in the murder of Gallegos' 3-year-old daughter Nevaeh.

"The fact that the little girl is passed away and those two are free, out walking, is disgusting," said one neighbor, lives near Gallego's mother and didn't want to be identified.

The two were released because prosecutors haven't yet gathered enough evidence to formally charge them. They're still waiting on the results of an autopsy.

Legal analyst for 9NEWS, Scott Robinson, says the situation is not uncommon.

"Suspects can only be held without bond for so long," he said. "They either have to be charged or released." .....

continued
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=78384

[Jo_Momma_82]

I absolutely cannot believe their out :flamemad: ..... I understand that they cannot legally be held anymore but, maybe they'll get a little more punishment on the outside. And why on earth are they holding hands... the mother is doing herself no favors by sticking by his side. I hope she doesn't use the excuse that most use as far as saying that it was all him b/c that picture says ALOT to me about her support for him.

[Angie1960]

why Why WHY - can't they be held? Didn't they confess to utting this child in garbage bags????:confused:

[Angie1960]

Well I'm just so pissed off - So if you rape & kill a child, confess to putting her in garbage bags and dumping her body - you can go free, thats not enough to be charged with a crime.

Does anyone know this D.A.? Maybe he's a pedaphile & child abuser too?

:cuss: :cuss: :mad: :mad: :flamemad: :flamemad: :flamemad:

[odette]

DA had refused Neveah's '06 case

denverpost.com - By Arthur Kane The Denver Post - 10/04/2007

Prosecutors, not police officers, decided not to proceed with a 2006 child sexual-assault case against a man who was later arrested as a suspect in the same child's death, the Denver district attorney's office confirmed Wednesday.

In July 2006, after Neveah Gallegos was taken to a hospital emergency room and diagnosed as a possible victim of sexual abuse, police submitted a case to the Denver DA's office for possible prosecution of Angel Ray Montoya, 22.

Prosecution was refused.

Previously, representatives of the DA's office had said they had no record of the case being submitted to them, and police declined to comment on why they seemed to drop the investigation of Montoya.

Now, with Montoya a suspect in the death of 3-year-old Neveah, attention has refocused on the prior case and whether authorities missed a chance to separate him from the child more than a year before her mother reported her missing and her body was found in a ditch.

Montoya was arrested last month on suspicion of murder but released this week because prosecutors needed more time to investigate Neveah's death, authorities said.

The DA's office initially couldn't find the Oct. 18, 2006, refusal of prosecution notice and assumed it never received the case.

Police this week provided DA's officials with a copy of the notice, which was then located in the DA's office misdemeanor files. .....

Article Continued
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_7076978

[SallyG]

Well I'm just so pissed off - So if you rape & kill a child, confess to putting her in garbage bags and dumping her body - you can go free, thats not enough to be charged with a crime.

Does anyone know this D.A.? Maybe he's a pedaphile & child abuser too?

:cuss: :cuss: :mad: :mad: :flamemad: :flamemad: :flamemad:

I'm totally incensed by this whole mess as well....and someone obviously dropped the ball on this case. If Social Services can't follow up on their cases, they need to hire enough people so that each case can be thoroughly investigated. And a department is only as good as it's best employees....so if there are people not doing their job, they need to be fired and compent people hired.

Obviously if the law says you can only hold people a certain length of time, but tests take much longer, perhaps the law needs to be changed to accomodate the new technology....like allowing people to be held longer until tests are complete.

However, if they confessed to something, I would think that's a whole different story!!! I'm not sure why they could not be held then.

As far as the DA, the comment that maybe he's a child abuser and pedophile too is uncalled for. Those are serious allegations against someone and should not be thrown around lightly!!

[Angie1960]

I'm totally incensed by this whole mess as well....and someone obviously dropped the ball on this case. If Social Services can't follow up on their cases, they need to hire enough people so that each case can be thoroughly investigated. And a department is only as good as it's best employees....so if there are people not doing their job, they need to be fired and compent people hired.

Obviously if the law says you can only hold people a certain length of time, but tests take much longer, perhaps the law needs to be changed to accomodate the new technology....like allowing people to be held longer until tests are complete.

However, if they confessed to something, I would think that's a whole different story!!! I'm not sure why they could not be held then.

As far as the DA, the comment that maybe he's a child abuser and pedophile too is uncalled for. Those are serious allegations against someone and should not be thrown around lightly!!

It may be uncalled for here, true - but I have often wondered, with the pandemic of child sexual abuse and the number of abusers out there, some of them have got to also be in our justice system. I truly believe that there have been some in authority who sympathize with pedophiles and maybe that's why some of them have not ben proscecuted. I can state without a doubt that there are judges, police officers, and proscecuters who are pedophiles. That said, for the most part these folks want to see justice served and are committed to their jobs. I do not mean to actually accuse this particular DA, but there are cases of certain people in authority not pursuing justice or even doing their job because they sympathize with the accused. Again I'm SURE I stepped over the line there - but I am just SO ANGRY about them letting these two go - THEY CONFESSED TO PUTTING THE CHILD IN GARGABE BAGS FOR XXX SAKE! And now they find that the DA has basically buried a sexual abuse complaint? I really think people out there should do their X#@ jobs!

[SallyG]

It may be uncalled for here, true - but I have often wondered, with the pandemic of child sexual abuse and the number of abusers out there, some of them have got to also be in our justice system. I truly believe that there have been some in authority who sympathize with pedophiles and maybe that's why some of them have not ben proscecuted. I can state without a doubt that there are judges, police officers, and proscecuters who are pedophiles. That said, for the most part these folks want to see justice served and are committed to their jobs. I do not mean to actually accuse this particular DA, but there are cases of certain people in authority not pursuing justice or even doing their job because they sympathize with the accused. Again I'm SURE I stepped over the line there - but I am just SO ANGRY about them letting these two go - THEY CONFESSED TO PUTTING THE CHILD IN GARGABE BAGS FOR XXX SAKE! And now they find that the DA has basically buried a sexual abuse complaint? I really think people out there should do their X#@ jobs!

Oh, I agree with you. I imagine with all the judges, lawyers, and law enforcement people, there are more than likely a few unsavory characters among them. Having a high profile job does not mean a person is a clean and morally upright person, no indeed!

I just don't know why the law is so anxious to protect the obviously guilty. Now I know there are many, many cases where guilt is uncertain, but these people......I can only shake my head. How could a mother even contemplate covering up for someone who has just murdered her child??? If it had been me, I'd have beaten him to death with my bare hands for harming my child. How can a woman be so wrapped up in a piece of crap of a man and put him before her own child??? It amazes me.

This whole case was screwed up from the start and I sincerely hope that someone, and preferably several people, lose their jobs over this!!!

[odette]

Police Can't Locate Man Suspected Of Dumping Girl

Montoya Was Accused Of Killing, Dumping Neveah Gallegos

thedenverchannel.com - October 19, 2007

DENVER -- A man once accused of killing a 3-year-old girl and then dumping her body in a ravine needs to be arrested again but he cannot be located, police said Friday.

Denver police are searching for Angel Ray Montoya, whom they once held in jail but had to release because murder charges could not be filed in time.

Denver police said Friday they have now obtained an arrest warrant for Montoya for failure to register as a sex offender but he cannot be found at his old address. Police said Montoya failed to notify the Denver police sex offender registration unit that he had changed his residence, which is required under his terms and conditions as a registered sex offender.

Anyone who has seen him or knows of his whereabouts is asked to contact the Denver Police Department's Crimes Against Persons Bureau at 720-913-6050, or Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). continued: »
WANTED
http://i22.tinypic.com/32ziba0.jpg
Angel Ray Montoya


http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14381359/detail.html#

[odette]

Suspect in Child's Murder Again Sought By Police

A man police arrested and released in Septemeber is again wanted

myfoxcolorado.com - 19 Oct 2007

DENVER -- Denver Police are again looking for a man arrested and released in connection with his daughter's murder last month.
Angel Ray Montoya is now wanted for failing to register as a sex offender, a class 1 misdemeanor. »

http://i20.tinypic.com/2il1vud.jpg

http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4688855&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

[Angie1960]

Now tell me who didn't know THAT was going to happen!!!:flamemad: :flamemad:

[maryhaze]

honest to god, where isn't there someone out there who will take care of pieces of crap like these two!?:flamemad:

[odette]

Man Accused Of Dumpting Girl In Bag Arrested

Police Searched For Montoya Since Friday

thedenverchannel.com - POSTED: 7:20 pm MDT October 24, 2007

DENVER -- A man once accused of killing a 3-year-old girl and then dumping her body in a ravine has been arrested again, police said Wednesday.

Police said they received a tip Angel Ray Montoya was at the Interstate Inn in Wheat Ridge.

Around 6 p.m. Denver police searched the inn and found Montoya. He was arrested without incident, said John White of the Denver Police Department. — continued: »

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14418139/detail.html

[Angie1960]

Man Accused Of Dumpting Girl In Bag Arrested

Police Searched For Montoya Since Friday

thedenverchannel.com - POSTED: 7:20 pm MDT October 24, 2007

DENVER -- A man once accused of killing a 3-year-old girl and then dumping her body in a ravine has been arrested again, police said Wednesday.

Police said they received a tip Angel Ray Montoya was at the Interstate Inn in Wheat Ridge.

Around 6 p.m. Denver police searched the inn and found Montoya. He was arrested without incident, said John White of the Denver Police Department. — continued: »

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14418139/detail.html


:) Thank God

[One2Snoop]

Thank god they found him! I couldn't believe LE let them go in the first place! :cuss:

[WarmNCozy]

Prayers for this innocent little angel!

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff305/CozyNWarm/6694vg2.gif

[charmaine]

Mom stalled '06 complaint

-- Police were unable to proceed in sex-assault investigation --

By Arthur Kane Denver Post Staff Writer - Article Launched: 09/26/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT

A complaint that a sexual assault may have been committed against a Denver girl who was later killed was made to police by someone with the Denver Department of Human Services.

But while police said they could not gather enough evidence to prosecute Angel Ray Montoya, 22, for allegedly sexually assaulting Niveah Gallegos last year, it is unclear what Human Services did to protect the girl before her death Friday.

Niveah's death comes about four months after another boy, Chandler Grafner, died after Denver Human Services workers did not investigate a complaint from his school that he had been missing for a month.

The Colorado Department of Human Services announced Tuesday that it would do a fatality review in the Gallegos case, which should be completed within 45 days of her death. .....

continued:
http://origin.denverpost.com/ci_6998714

Seems like this sort of incompetence happens all over the world. :flamemad: Here, in Australia a little 2yr old boys body was found in a suitcase which was floating in a lake in Sydney. Child Welfare Services had investigated this boys mother for alleged abuse on more than one occassion. Yet another child let down by a system that is obviously overloaded with reports and staffed with people who do not have the tools to see what is right in front of them. I just do not understand for the life of me how a mother can not only stand by while their baby is abused, but so it seems in this case, be an active participant. I cry for this child. :rose:

[Bluefox]

I find it shocking that both Social Services and the DA in the same area, let this child down so badly. In their favour, SS probably have too many people on their books to deal with in the way they should, maybe we need more SS bodies to go around, because, yes, this happens everywhere, but the sad reality is, the child is now dead, and it can't be undone.

I'm wondering also how they couldn't find the previous reports, isn't everything supposed to be on computer? Written reports, statements on a police notebook? Certainly someone's head should roll for that!

We all know people can only be held for a certain time, (even terrorists have that benefit)

However i think it's time a new law was made where it concerns minors. Where abuse, physical, mental, sexual, homicide, they should be able to keep that person in their sights. Maybe you guys should campaign for such a law. Your country is so vast, if parents aren't caring for their children, SOMEONE ELSE HAS TO CARE ENOUGH.

It's a sad fact that some women will do anything to hold onto their 'man' and i use the term 'man' lightly, for they aren't men in the real sense. Yes, women will also sacrifice their own kids for a man. You can't fight that! They exist. In my case, before i reported a paedophile, i gave the mother the chance to do so herself. She didn't, because she didn't want to rock the boat.

Social Services know for a fact that they are regularly dealing with such women, and yet they turn their back on these kids. Shame on them. R.I.P little one.

[charmaine]

I find it shocking that both Social Services and the DA in the same area, let this child down so badly. In their favour, SS probably have too many people on their books to deal with in the way they should, maybe we need more SS bodies to go around, because, yes, this happens everywhere, but the sad reality is, the child is now dead, and it can't be undone.

I'm wondering also how they couldn't find the previous reports, isn't everything supposed to be on computer? Written reports, statements on a police notebook? Certainly someone's head should roll for that!

We all know people can only be held for a certain time, (even terrorists have that benefit)

However i think it's time a new law was made where it concerns minors. Where abuse, physical, mental, sexual, homicide, they should be able to keep that person in their sights. Maybe you guys should campaign for such a law. Your country is so vast, if parents aren't caring for their children, SOMEONE ELSE HAS TO CARE ENOUGH.

It's a sad fact that some women will do anything to hold onto their 'man' and i use the term 'man' lightly, for they aren't men in the real sense. Yes, women will also sacrifice their own kids for a man. You can't fight that! They exist. In my case, before i reported a paedophile, i gave the mother the chance to do so herself. She didn't, because she didn't want to rock the boat.

Social Services know for a fact that they are regularly dealing with such women, and yet they turn their back on these kids. Shame on them. R.I.P little one.

My Mum had a friend whos new husband sexually abused her daughter and went to prison for it. When he was released, she took him straight back! Needless to say, Mum kicked her to the kerb and never spoke to her again. How could she put him before her own flesh and blood? :cuss: As the mother of three girls I will never understand it.

[charmaine]

Denver Human Services To Undergo Review

Niveah, Chandler's Cases Shine Spotlight On Department

thedenverchannel.com - UPDATED: 3:38 pm MDT September 28, 2007

DENVER -- The Denver Department of Human Services will undergo a third-party review of its child protection practices after 7NEWS Investigators uncovered disturbing details about the department's handling of cases of children who were eventually killed -- Chandler Grafner and Niveah Gallegos.

Chandler was the 7-year-old child who was allegedly starved to death by his guardians. Niveah was the 3-year-old girl who was found in a ravine in West Denver this week.

Denver Human Services had at one time opened child abuse investigations involving both children.

A 7NEWS investigation found that Denver Human Services knew more than a year ago that then 23-month-old Niveah showed physical signs of sexual abuse.

Her mother's boyfriend, a registered sex offender, was the only suspect, yet Denver Human Services did not go to court and remove the child from the mother. Instead they opened a voluntary case to monitor the family. The case was later closed as unfounded because the girl's mother would not cooperate with the investigation. .....

continued
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14222542/detail.html

Seriously...this is beyond a joke! Chandler and Neveahs' blood IS on their hands!! Why do they need the mothers cooperation? Surely there are laws that overide an uncooperative parent/guardian!? What power(s) do they actually have? Do they have any or are they just complaisant? If Neveahs Mother had nothing to hide then why not cooperate? God this p***** me off!!!!

[charmaine]

Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch

CBS4 DENVER - Raj Chohan - Sep 26, 2007 7:18 pm US/Mountain

(CBS4) DENVER - The mother of a child found dead in a ravine this week is now under suicide watch in jail and state social services is investigating what the young victim had been through in her short life.

Angel Ray Montoya, suspected in the death of 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos, was suspected of sexually abusing her a year ago.

Neveah's Mother, Miriam Gallegos, and Montoya are both under suicide watch in jail after telling corrections officers they wanted to kill themselves. CBS4 found out after asking to interview them Wednesday.

At a make-shift memorial in the park where police found the body of Neveah, there's unmistakable heartbreak, even among those who'd never met the child.

"It was really sad, really, you could almost feel it in the air," Robert Lee from Set Free Church said. .....

continued:
Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch (http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_269212003.html)

OH BOO HOO!! :cuss: No way :no: ...they need to rot in prison for the rest of their lives. Typical behaviour from such cowards though...doesn't surprise me.

[odette]

Memorial dedicated to Nevaeh Gallegos

Police still investigating 3-year-old's death

cw2.trb.com - Eli Stokols, News2 - November 3, 2007

DENVER (KWGN) — At sunset Friday, about 50 people gathered near the creekbed where, a month ago, police found the body of Neveah Gallegos, to dedicate a small memorial in the three-year-old's memory.

"Out of a crack in the sidewalk, a rose can grow," said Councilman Paul D. Lopez, who attended the dedication and spoke about plans to have a playground across the street renamed for Neveah, who was possibly murdered by her mother's sex-offender boyfriend, Angel Montoya, in late September. — continued

Excerpt: Carissa Garcia, a student at Lake Middle School down the street, read a statement of her own at the dedication.

"It makes me so sad this happened to such a little girl," Garcia said. "It was because she was a little girl and didnt do anything wrong. But she had to suffer because of her parents, her mom didn't do anything about it."

Garcia, 12, who has come almost daily to sit at the spot where Neveah was found, helped raise $117 from her classmates to pay for the stone bench that now sits aside the angel statuary above the creekbed.

"I just want Neveah to know that we miss her and remember her," Garcia said.

http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-gallegos-memorial,0,7340093.story?coll=kwgn-home-2

[odette]

Memorial dedicated to slain 3-year-old girl

9news.com - Colleen Locke - 11/2/2007

DENVER – A 3-year-old girl, found in a ravine last month, was remembered Friday night.

A memorial was dedicated in Nevaeh Gallegos' memory at the place where she was found September 24, near West 10th Avenue and Perry Street,

"The memorial represents our hope and our prayer that this would happen to no other child ever," said Pastor Shane Fay of Set Free Church.

Carissa Garcia, who attends Lake Middle School, raised $117 for a bench.

"It makes me so sad this happened to such a little girl. I just want to let Nevaeh know we all love her and miss her a lot," Garcia said.

Councilman Paul Lopez is working to rename the park across the street in the girl's memory.

"It's going to be a place where people can sit, children can play, and we can remember Nevaeh's spirit and what that really means to our community." — continued

http://i15.tinypic.com/6b2p2d1.jpg
Memorial dedicated to slain 3-year-old girl

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=80244

[Bluefox]

Charmaine, you are right to be so angry, it just plainly shouldn't happen. We need more people to be whistleblowers for children. You know, we have guidance teachers for those at high school, but not for the younger school child. Why not? Or a class talk once a week even, to make our children aware that there's help for them. If a child is being deprived of the food he needs, shouldn't it be made simple for him/her to get help. I say this, because, sometimes it's a teacher who may notice a change in a child, or a child who's naturally too reserved and a closed book! We can't let these children suffer for years and years, i'm so astounded that a mother can be so cruel to a child she carried in her womb for 9mths.

We can campaign for new laws, but in the meantime Charmaine, all you can do is keep your eyes and ears open, and do the little or big things even, for others! You'll be making it a better world for those around you.

If anyone knows something isn't right, report it, whether it's firt hand knowledge, 2nd hand, whatever.

Surely the medical checks would prove the abuse in little Nevaeh's case? So why isn't the mother being prosecuted for wilfil neglect and failure to protect her daughter? Personally i don't want people like them to commit suicide, it's way too much the easy way out for them, i want to them to suffer for a very long time in prison,

[charmaine]

Charmaine, you are right to be so angry, it just plainly shouldn't happen. We need more people to be whistleblowers for children. You know, we have guidance teachers for those at high school, but not for the younger school child. Why not? Or a class talk once a week even, to make our children aware that there's help for them. If a child is being deprived of the food he needs, shouldn't it be made simple for him/her to get help. I say this, because, sometimes it's a teacher who may notice a change in a child, or a child who's naturally too reserved and a closed book! We can't let these children suffer for years and years, i'm so astounded that a mother can be so cruel to a child she carried in her womb for 9mths.

We can campaign for new laws, but in the meantime Charmaine, all you can do is keep your eyes and ears open, and do the little or big things even, for others! You'll be making it a better world for those around you.

If anyone knows something isn't right, report it, whether it's firt hand knowledge, 2nd hand, whatever.

Surely the medical checks would prove the abuse in little Nevaeh's case? So why isn't the mother being prosecuted for wilfil neglect and failure to protect her daughter? Personally i don't want people like them to commit suicide, it's way too much the easy way out for them, i want to them to suffer for a very long time in prison,

Sometimes I think that I would like to work in this field, but, I know that I would have a problem maintaining my sanity. I am a bit of a confrontational person and I would probably end up getting into trouble myself! I have three girls who are 17, 14 and 5 years of age. The thought of someone doing anything to hurt children, whether it be verbal, physical or sexual abuse makes me see red. You are right, Bluefox, we all have to keep our eyes open and do all we can to protect our most defenceless. My partner is hoping to be accepted into the South Australian Police Force in the next month. I am sure he will see some very disturbing things, but unlike myself, he is very good at keeping calm. It just baffles me how some people do not evolve as they get older. We just have to teach our kids compassion and empathy for others. That is all we can do as parents.

[Angie1960]

I find it shocking that both Social Services and the DA in the same area, let this child down so badly. In their favour, SS probably have too many people on their books to deal with in the way they should, maybe we need more SS bodies to go around, because, yes, this happens everywhere, but the sad reality is, the child is now dead, and it can't be undone.

I'm wondering also how they couldn't find the previous reports, isn't everything supposed to be on computer? Written reports, statements on a police notebook? Certainly someone's head should roll for that!

We all know people can only be held for a certain time, (even terrorists have that benefit)

However i think it's time a new law was made where it concerns minors. Where abuse, physical, mental, sexual, homicide, they should be able to keep that person in their sights. Maybe you guys should campaign for such a law. Your country is so vast, if parents aren't caring for their children, SOMEONE ELSE HAS TO CARE ENOUGH.

It's a sad fact that some women will do anything to hold onto their 'man' and i use the term 'man' lightly, for they aren't men in the real sense. Yes, women will also sacrifice their own kids for a man. You can't fight that! They exist. In my case, before i reported a paedophile, i gave the mother the chance to do so herself. She didn't, because she didn't want to rock the boat.

Social Services know for a fact that they are regularly dealing with such women, and yet they turn their back on these kids. Shame on them. R.I.P little one.

SHAME ON THESE WOMEN - This is so true - Weak women allowing their children to be sacrificed - you use the term men lightly, I agree and I use the term women lightly - no maternal instinct at all!

[skybludeb]

Exclusive: Girl Showed Signs Of Sex Assault

-- Denver Human Services Closed Case, Saying Allegations Unfounded --

ABC7 - THE DENVER CHANNEL -POSTED: 9:53 pm MDT September 25, 2007 - UPDATED: 11:55 pm MDT September 25, 2007

DENVER -- The death of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos is not only being investigated by Denver police, it's now being investigated by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Last year, both Denver Human Services and the Denver Police Department investigated reports that the girl was sexually assaulted.

The only suspect in that case, Angel Ray Montoya, is now behind bars, accused of killing her and dumping her body in a ravine.

In July 2006, Niveah was found to be bleeding in her diaper after a stay with her mother's boyfriend -- Montoya.

She was taken to the doctor and then examined at the Denver Family Crisis Center, where both Denver police and the Denver Department of Human Services got involved.

When examined at the crisis center, sources familiar with the case told 7NEWS that doctors confirmed that the child showed signs of sexual assault. .....

continued:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14205848/detail.html
Oh my God how could her mother let this man do this to her child? She needs to get life in prison and he should get the death penalty!

[WarmNCozy]

Oh my God how could her mother let this man do this to her child? She needs to get life in prison and he should get the death penalty!

They both should get the death penalty. After knowing this man penetrated her 23 month old daughter, she did not press charges against him and continued to live with him.

[odette]

Coroner: Girl, 3, suffered abuse

denverpost.com - Kirk Mitchell - 11/08/2007

The Denver coroner's office found evidence that a 3-year-old girl had been struck in the abdomen and possibly strangled but classified the cause of death as undetermined.

Neveah Janey Gallegos, who died Sept. 24, showed signs of abuse over a period of time, according to an autopsy released today and completed by Dr. Amy Martin.

Suffocation or strangulation has not been ruled out as a possible cause of death, Martin wrote in the autopsy report. The girl had bruises of various ages consistent with "abusive trauma." — continued

http://origin.denverpost.com/ci_7404877

[odette]

Cause of 3-year-old's death undetermined; suffocation not ruled out

9news.com - Sara Gandy - updated by: Dan Boniface - 11/8/2007

DENVER - The autopsy of a 3-year-old girl who was originally reported missing by her mother and was later found in a ravine has been released.

The Denver Coroner says the manner of death of Nevaeh Gallegos is undetermined as is the cause of the death. However, they do say recent trauma was likely non-accidental. — continued

Excerpt: "It's still an active, ongoing investigation," said Police spokesperson Sonny Jackson. "We're still seeking justice in her death. We'll continue to look at what brought about her demise."

"This little girl had injuries all over her body, but there is no obvious cause of death which will complicate prosecution," said 9NEWS Legal Analyst Scott Robinson. "At this point it might be difficult for the prosecution to go forward, but still possible, if nothing else they can prosecute the case on child abuse alone without trying to prove the death."

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=80553

[odette]

Neveah autopsy released; prosecutors 'seek justice'

rockymountainnews.com - Alan Gathright - November 8, 2007

Three-year-old Neveah Gallegos' body showed evidence of repeated trauma, including a fresh blow to her abdomen, but the Denver coroner has been unable to determine the cause of her death. — continued

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5742645,00.html

[odette]

Abuse likely killed Neveah

Autopsy results go to DA, who'll decide on charges

The Denver Post - By Kirk Mitchell - 11/09/2007

Police, and now the coroner, suspect that abuse caused the death of Neveah Janey Gallegos, but it's up to the district attorney whether charges will be filed against Neveah's mother and the mother's boyfriend. — continued

http://i23.tinypic.com/zldtlu.png » Child Death: Arrest affidavit in the Neveah Gallegos case. (PDF, 19 MB)
http://www.denverpost.com/lacrosse/ci_7411092

[skybludeb]

OH BOO HOO!! :cuss: No way :no: ...they need to rot in prison for the rest of their lives. Typical behaviour from such cowards though...doesn't surprise me.
I say they should get a death sentence. And I think they should die the same way this poor little baby died.Slow and very painful!

[Angie1960]

Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch

CBS4 DENVER - Raj Chohan - Sep 26, 2007 7:18 pm US/Mountain

(CBS4) DENVER - The mother of a child found dead in a ravine this week is now under suicide watch in jail and state social services is investigating what the young victim had been through in her short life.

Angel Ray Montoya, suspected in the death of 3-year-old Neveah Gallegos, was suspected of sexually abusing her a year ago.

Neveah's Mother, Miriam Gallegos, and Montoya are both under suicide watch in jail after telling corrections officers they wanted to kill themselves. CBS4 found out after asking to interview them Wednesday.

At a make-shift memorial in the park where police found the body of Neveah, there's unmistakable heartbreak, even among those who'd never met the child.

"It was really sad, really, you could almost feel it in the air," Robert Lee from Set Free Church said. .....

continued:
Suspects In Murder Of Toddler Under Suicide Watch (http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_269212003.html)

If only they had thought of killing themselves BEFORE they tortured this innocent little child! :flamemad:

[RaVeN71806]

I say they should get a death sentence. And I think they should die the same way this poor little baby died.Slow and very painful!

I always say that they should die the sameway there victims did let them know what it feels like..the sameway this poor baby did...there weak and the mother is more weak to let a man come between her and her child...shame on her..