Investigators say blood, photographs and messages establish that Angelina was born, though her remains have not been found.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Blood evidence found on baby clothing and a towel matched a biological child of a Florida couple who repeatedly claimed their missing daughter never existed, according to an arrest warrant outlining a circumstantial manslaughter case.
Hollywood police allege that Samantha Angelina Feliz, 20, and Alejandro Leon Jr., 21, neglected their infant daughter and concealed her death. The couple was arrested Wednesday in Richmond County, North Carolina, and awaits extradition to South Florida on aggravated manslaughter and four related charges.
No remains have been recovered, and authorities have not determined exactly where the baby was born, when she died or what happened to her body. Detective Nancie Toler wrote in the warrant that the case rests on evidence including family accounts, electronic messages, photographs, videos, DNA testing and items recovered during searches.
Authorities identify the child as Angelina. Police believe Feliz gave birth outside a hospital in December 2024, but investigators found no birth certificate, hospital record or record from a midwife facility. Relatives nevertheless reported seeing the couple with a newborn during the child’s first weeks of life.
Investigators said photographs showed Feliz with what appeared to be a pregnant belly before the birth. Later photographs and videos showed Feliz and Leon holding, feeding and sleeping beside a baby. Messages exchanged by the couple and relatives also discussed the pregnancy, birth preparations and the child, the warrant said.
Police described the child’s appearance in successive photographs as declining. Authorities said the last known image was taken Jan. 5, 2025, and showed a baby who appeared ill and malnourished. Investigators described the child in that image as showing no signs of life, though no independent medical examination was possible without remains.
The inquiry began after a relative contacted Hollywood police in July 2025 and said the family had not seen Angelina since earlier that year. The relative reported that Feliz and Leon were denying the child existed and were describing the pregnancy as a hoax or financial scam.
One relative told investigators that Feliz answered a question about Angelina during a March 2025 meeting by saying, “What baby? There is no baby.” The warrant said Feliz later maintained that she had never been pregnant and had used a false belly to make relatives believe she was expecting a child.
Leon and Feliz repeated those denials when officers in Lantana interviewed them, police said. According to the warrant, they claimed the pregnancy story had been invented to gain sympathy and money from their families. Investigators said the couple also stated that authorities would not find an official record of a baby.
Police later searched a Hollywood storage unit where the couple was believed to have stayed. Investigators reported finding baby clothing, a positive home pregnancy test, notebooks containing language related to a gender reveal and baby shower, electronic devices and a towel that appeared to contain blood. A handgun was also recovered, though authorities did not allege that it caused the child’s death.
Laboratory testing detected blood on the baby clothing and towels, the warrant said. DNA analysis indicated that the blood came from a biological child of both Feliz and Leon, according to investigators. Police also said DNA recovered from a red baby outfit was linked to the couple.
Toler wrote that the combined evidence established probable cause to believe Angelina had been born and later died. The detective cited photographs of the child, the apparent decline in her health, the DNA findings and the parents’ statements as central parts of the case. The allegations have not been tested at trial.
Search teams used dogs trained to detect human remains at former residences associated with the couple, but those searches produced no results, according to the warrant. Police have not disclosed whether additional locations are being examined or whether investigators have identified a possible disposal site.
Feliz and Leon each face aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with or fabricating evidence, failure to report a death, false information concerning a missing child and false reports to law enforcement. They remained in custody in North Carolina as the search for Angelina and the investigation into her death continued.
Author note: Last updated July 24, 2026.