The mother of a missing girl was advised that she is being held for investigation of accessory to child abuse resulting in death during a hearing today at the Denver City Jail.
Miriam Gallegos, 20, did not speak during the brief hearing and appeared stoic in the courtroom.
She and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Angel Ray Montoya, a suspect in the death of the girl, declined to be interviewed by The Denver Post.
Denver police are asking for the public’s help in locating the body of 3-year-old Niveah Gallegos.
“The child is possibly in the downtown area, possibly in a plastic bag,” said Sonny Jackson, Denver police spokesman, at a news conference. “We need to locate this child’s body.”
Asked if police know for sure that the girl is dead, Jackson said, “We suspect that she is.”
Police say they do not believe she was kidnapped as her mother reported on Friday.
Police described Niveah as Caucasian, approximately 40 pounds in weight, and 3’6″ in height, with brown hair and eyes. Niveah may have been wearing a red, long-sleeved shirt with a white elephant on the front and red sweatpants.
Gallegos, in leg shackles, also was advised she is facing charges of false reporting to police.
Montoya was arrested Friday night in relation to the girl’s disappearance.
“He is a homicide suspect for first-degree murder,” Jackson said Saturday at police headquarters, as Montoya was due to be appear nearby in court.
A public defender appointed to represent Montoya quickly filed motions with the judge to keep law enforcement from interviewing him about the case and taking samples of his DNA.
Montoya did not speak during the hearing.
Montoya is a registered sex offender according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
He was apprehended near the intersection of 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street near the Capitol just before 8 p.m. Friday.
About 1:30 p.m. Friday, Miriam Gallegos reported that two men had snatched the girl in an alley in the 1000 block of Cherokee Street as the mother and girl walked to a hospital.
Authorities issued an Amber Alert and put out a description of a tall, red-headed suspect with blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
But the Amber Alert was soon canceled, and police said they had been unable to substantiate her report.
Gallegos does not have a violent criminal history. Court records show she has been arrested on suspicion of violating a curfew and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
