Ally Espinosa was only four years old when she died on Thursday, November 7, 2019. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, she died from blunt force trauma, and her death was ruled a homicide. The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report lists the Pomona Police Department as the investigating agency, but it gives no address for where she was hurt.
Ally was a Latina girl, at an age when children are starting preschool, learning to write their names and asking endless questions. Beyond her name, her age and the date she died, nothing about her has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story, and no news outlet appears to have reported on her death.
The public record leaves almost every question unanswered. It does not say whether she was hurt at home, in a car or somewhere else, who was caring for her at the time, whether she was taken to a hospital, or how long she lived after her injuries. When the Medical Examiner rules a young child's death from blunt force trauma a homicide, it means that another person's actions caused it, whether through abuse, violence or something else. The record does not say which.
The deaths of young children are among the hardest cases detectives handle. The only witnesses are often the adults who were present, and a four-year-old cannot always explain what is happening to her. Medical evidence can show that a child was hurt, but not always who did it or when. Teachers, doctors, relatives and neighbors are often the first to notice signs that a child is in danger, and sometimes, after a death, they realize that they saw something that seemed wrong at the time.
Pomona is a city of about 150,000 people at the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, home to the Fairplex, where the Los Angeles County Fair is held, and to Cal Poly Pomona. It has its own police department. Its residents are predominantly Latino, and many are working families with young children.
Los Angeles recorded about 260 homicides in 2019, among the lowest yearly totals in more than half a century, yet many of those killings still went unsolved. Children are a small share of homicide victims, and their deaths are often handled quietly, through the juvenile and family courts as well as criminal prosecutions.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Ally Espinosa could be found in news archives or public records, although cases involving young children are sometimes handled with little public attention. As far as the public record shows, no one has been held responsible. Anyone who knew Ally or her family may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can contact the Pomona Police Department, or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
