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By Hayden Parsley
January 23, 2015 (Lakeside) – Elaina Rose Welch, who was arrested following the deaths of her child and boyfriend on the Barona reservation last week, was released from jail Thursday.
Tribal police responded to a call about an attempted suicide and the Sheriff’s department responded to a call reporting her baby was dead. The police spoke to a man, now known to be her boyfriend, Julio Ricardo Monggiotti; who then entered the home and a shot was heard. Welch exited the home and dropped a shotgun on the road.
When the police entered the home they found the corpse of her baby hidden in a freezer and Monggiotti dead with gunshot wounds to his chest and wrist. This incident had prompted much of the area to be shut down and even SWAT intervention. (See our prior story here.)
Welch has been released with no charges, a highly unusual move in a double homicide case. This calls into question many details of the case. Welch’s father reportedly said that he had heard Welch yell, “He killed my baby,” from within the house. Monggiotti was an ex-Army member and Welch’s mother reported Welch being seen with bruises and a busted lip, possibly indicating Monggiotti had been abusing Welch.
These statements raise speculation whether it was in fact Monggiotti who may have killed the baby and whether he may have been killed in self-defense or even suicide.
The case is still under investigation, however. Though Welch has been released, there is no statute of limitations on homicide and she may be arrested again if new evidence surfaces.
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