Texas – Police officials reported that 18-year-old Everilda, who was in the country illegally, was arrested and charged with abandoning a child without intent to return. She allegedly gave birth behind a food truck, tied the baby, placenta, and umbilical cord in a trash bag, and placed it in a nearby dumpster. She then left, leaving her newborn behind.
The woman, identified as an illegal immigrant from Guatemala living in Houston, was taken into custody after the incident was caught on surveillance video. Authorities said she admitted to leaving the baby in the dumpster to prevent her boyfriend from breaking up with her.
She reportedly stated, “she had no choice or else her boyfriend would break up with her.” The woman was arrested last week, with bail set at $200,000. The investigation began when a 911 caller reported hearing a baby crying for help. The baby was rescued and rushed to the hospital, where authorities say he is in stable and good condition.
The case underscores the importance of Texas’s Safe Haven Law, which allows parents unable to care for their baby to surrender the child at designated safe locations like hospitals, fire stations, or freestanding emergency centers without facing legal repercussions. The baby must be younger than 60 days old and unharmed.
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