LEESBURG, VA – Alvaro Mejia Ayala, 22, of Leesburg, has been indicted on additional charges in connection with the death of his 8-month-old sister in September 2025.
Ayala was arrested on September 17, 2025, in connection with an assault on an infant in a home on Hancock Place NE in Leesburg. He was originally charged with strangulation.
According to an update from the Leesburg Police Department on Tuesday, he has now been indicted on charges of suffocation, aggravated murder, first-degree murder, first-degree murder in the commission of abduction, felony murder–suffocation, and abduction of a minor.
In a press release, Leesburg Police Chief Thea Pimat called the case “heartbreaking.”
“Our detectives have remained committed from the beginning to conducting a thorough, compassionate, and meticulous investigation on behalf of the victim and her family,” she said.
Ayala remains in custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center pending further court proceedings.
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