Portland’s ‘Baby Precious’ identified after more than a decade, suspect arrested
Case detective says mother was 15-year-old girl who gave birth on suspect’s floor
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – An arrest has been made more than 10 years after an infant girl, referred to as “Baby Precious,” was found dead in a recycling center on Swan Island.
Officers first responded May 28, 2013, just after 8:30 a.m. to a recycling center at 4325 North Commerce Street.
The Portland Police Bureau said despite tips and widespread community concern no real leads came regarding who killed the infant and her identity remained a mystery.
In 2019, the Portland Police Cold Case Unit took on the case, sending in tissue samples for examination. Two years later in Dec. 2021, a PPB detective was alerted to a family connection found but according to police, the submission was anonymous.
According to PPB, after a year-and-a-half, investigators were able to learn Baby Precious’ name was Amara.
In September, the case was presented to a Multnomah County Grand Jury and Amara’s father, Alnath Omar Oliver, 53, of Portland, was indicted.
Oliver was charged with Manslaughter in the Second Degree (2 counts), Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree (2 counts), Rape in the Third Degree, and Concealing the Birth of an Infant.
“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,” said Chief Chuck Lovell. “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.’”
In a news conference Thursday about the case, Detective Brendan McGuire said they believe Oliver had fathered baby Amara with a then-15-year-old girl who participated in the investigation and testified before the grand jury.
“What I can tell you is, from the moment that the defendant was aware of the pregnancy, he prevented both the mother from going to seek medical care, prenatal or otherwise, including, she gave birth on his floor,” McGuire said. “And he prevented her from going to seek any medical attention. He then took the child from his apartment and in the course of walking to hospital, the baby passed, and when he found the baby unresponsive, he refused to take the baby to the hospital.”
Oliver was arrested Thursday and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center.
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