A teen illegal immigrant has been arrested and charged with a felony after the discovery of a newborn baby in a Texas dumpster.
The baby, tied in a garbage bag along with its umbilical cord and placenta before being thrown out like trash, was found in a Houston apartment complex dumpster on July 21, according to KHOU.
A passerby heard the newborn’s cries and called 911. Officers found the baby boy inside the dumpster on the same day it was born.
The infant was transported to Texas Children’s Hospital and is now expected to make a full recovery, the Houston Chronicle reported.
After the baby was in the hands of medical professionals, police set to work investigating the near-fatal abandonment and soon linked the bagged child to a nearby food truck.
With the help of surveillance camera footage, authorities were able to quickly move the investigation along, KPRC-TV reported.
According to Law & Crime, police tracked down a suspect, 18-year-old Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam.
Cux-Ajtzalam, a Guatemalan national who is now under hold by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, allegedly gave a confession with a sickening reason for the crime.
Authorities said that Cux-Ajtzalam explained, she abandoned the child with no intention of returning because she “didn’t want her boyfriend to break up with her.”
Should Cux-Ajtzalam face harsher charges?
According to the Houston Chronicle, she is charged with abandoning a child without intent to return, a felony.
The Chronicle also noted Cux-Ajtzalam has a mental disability and was arrested in 2023 by Customs and Border Patrol agents.
During her first court appearance for this most recent charge, the abandoned child’s mom was given a 5-figure bond amount and a savaging by the judge.
“It was pure luck that the child was found and received care,” Harris County District Court Judge Veronica Nelson said.
“Given the fact that it’s the middle of summer in Houston, Texas, and the temperature at the time noting the danger to the child; under those circumstances, I’m going to set the bail in this case at $90,000.”
The court has since revised the bond amount for the heinous crime.
As KPRC-TV noted, the few ties Cux-Ajtzalam has in the United States makes her a flight risk.
After being increased Monday, her bond now sits at a much higher sum — $200,000.
If found guilty, Cux-Ajtzalam faces 10 years in prison, according to KHOU. Had the baby died before or after his discovery, it’s likely his mother would be facing charges of a much greater severity.
