Monterey County sheriff finds car tied to Amber Alert for missing teen girl, father

Published September 8, 2026 5:12 PM PDT

The Monterey County Sheriff's Department says the car associated with an Amber Alert issued over the weekend has been located. 

Despite the discovery of the Nissan Altima, sheriff's officials say they are still searching for 14-year-old Diana Galvez Ortega and her 38-year-old father, Sergio Galvez Perez. 

Car found

What we know:

The 14-year-old was allegedly impregnated by her father and gave birth to the baby. Authorities said the baby was born next to a strawberry field in Moss Landing around Aug. 1. The girl is alleged to have killed the infant, although anti-sex trafficking advocates are calling Diana a sex-abuse survivor and one of the victims in this case.  

Father, daughter still missing

The backstory:

Law enforcement officials named the baby "Baby Angelita." The father and daughter were last seen in Salinas in Monterey County on Aug. 4. 

On Tuesday, the sheriff's office said the vehicle with no license plates was found with assistance from the community. 

Diana's father is a musician. Authorities have said he is "concealing" his daughter from law enforcement. 

The sheriff's office said the father is wanted for numerous felony violations involving Diana in which she is the victim. 

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Authorities say around Aug. 1, thew teen gave birth to a baby girl on Struve Road near a strawberry field in Moss Landing.

Monterey County Amber Alert

Dig deeper:

Since the Amber Alert was issued, the sheriff's office said it has received hundreds of calls, emails and messages from the community with information about this investigation. They indicated that they could not release all the specifics so as not to jeopardize their investigation. 

Legal analyst Steven Clark previously told KTVU that the Amber Alert suggests they believe Diana could be in imminent peril. The sheriff's office has been criticized for branding the teen as a suspect. 

So far, the Monterey County District Attorney's office has charged the father with sexual assault related to his daughter. However, the teenager has not been charged in the infant's killing. 

What's next:

The public is asked to remain alert for the father and daughter's whereabouts. 

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