Baby Precious’ Was Found Dead in Recycling Center in 2013. How Did Police Find Out Who Killed Her?

The baby girl, who was initially dubbed “Baby Precious,” was found dead in a Portland, Ore., recycling center in 2013, police said

The father of a newborn baby found dead at an Oregon recycling center over 10 years ago has been sentenced to four years in prison after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors, according to multiple news reports.

The sentence was handed down on Friday, July 19, after Alnath Omar Oliver, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of criminally negligent homicide, according to court documents obtained by KGW, KPTV and KOIN.

On May 28, 2013, the newborn baby girl was found dead in a recycling center in Portland, Ore., according to a press release shared by the Portland Police Bureau. Her death was ruled a homicide. As authorities investigated with no real leads on her identity or killer, the case eventually went cold, and the victim became known as “Baby Precious.”

In 2019, the police department’s cold case team took over the inquiry, and tissues were sent to Bode Technology, a private forensics laboratory, for genetic genealogy testing, according to police. It wasn’t until two years later, in December 2021, that a detective was notified of a family connection — but it was anonymous.

“It took another year-and-a-half of investigation to identify Baby Precious’ maternity and paternity, and locate a suspect,” the release states, adding that investigators also learned the baby’s name was Amara.

In September 2023, Oliver, the baby’s father, was indicted by a grand jury in Multnomah County on multiple charges, including second-degree manslaughter, third-degree rape, first-degree criminal mistreatment and concealing the birth of an infant, police said. However, in his plea deal, he only pleaded guilty to one count of criminally negligent homicide, KGW, KPTV and KOIN report, citing court documents.

During a news conference, Portland Police Det. Brandan McGuire said that Amara’s 15-year-old mother gave birth to her on the floor of her home and that Oliver, then in his 40s, allegedly did not allow her to seek medical attention during her pregnancy, KGW reported.

“He then took the child from his apartment and in the course of walking to the hospital, the baby passed,” McGuire said, per KOIN. “When he found the baby unresponsive, he refused to take the baby to the hospital.”

In the police department’s initial press release announcing the indictment, they reminded the public of Oregon’s Safe Place for Newborns law, which allows for a parent to leave an infant 30 days of age or younger at a hospital, birthing clinic, physician’s office, sheriff’s office, police station, fire station, or county health department. Police said the parent will not face criminal penalties so long as there is no evidence of abuse present.

“While we continue to mourn the death of baby Amara, we hope this significant announcement helps our community with the healing process from this tragedy,” former Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in September 2023. “I want to express my appreciation for the tenacity of the investigators in this case, and the determination they had to seek justice for ‘Baby Precious’.”