Crime & Safety
Loudoun County Man Indicted On 6 More Counts In Infant Strangulation Case
Alvaro Mejia Ayala, 22, of Leesburg, was indicted Monday on 6 additional charges connected to an assault on his infant sister in September.
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 Sept. 17 in connection with an assault on an infant in a home on Hancock Place Northeast in Leesburg. He was originally charged with strangulation.
According to a Tuesday update from the Leesburg Police Department, 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.
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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.
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Ayala remains in custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center pending further court proceedings.
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