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  "path": "/news/leesburg-man-indicted-additional-charges-strangling-death-infant-sister",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-19T14:48:51.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.fox5dc.com",
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    "Leesburg infant dies days after strangling, 22-year-old brother facing murder charges"
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  "textContent": "A Loudoun County grand jury has indicted Alvaro Mejia Ayala, 22, of Leesburg, on additional charges related to the death of his infant sister.\n\nThe incident happened on Sept. 17, 2025, inside a home on Hancock Place in Leesburg. Police said they found the 8‑month‑old girl unresponsive, and according to the Department of Homeland Security, she had a charging cord around her neck. Paramedics took her to a hospital, where she later died.\n\nOfficers arrested Mejia Ayala at the time and charged him with strangulation. He now faces additional counts, including suffocation, aggravated murder, first‑degree murder, first‑degree murder in the commission of abduction, felony murder — suffocation, and abduction of a minor.\n\nHe remains held at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center pending further court proceedings.\n\nREAD MORE: Leesburg infant dies days after strangling, 22-year-old brother facing murder charges",
  "title": "Leesburg man indicted on additional charges in strangling death of infant sister"
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