Newborn found dead in portable toilet after Sonia Cristal Jimenez, Las Cruces, New Mexico mom throws baby infant into porta potty moments after giving birth while boyfriend rushes her to hospital believing she had a miscarriage. Investigators determine child was born alive.
A New Mexico mother is accused of deliberately dropping her newborn baby in a porta potty only for infant baby to drown in blue chemical liquid.
Notice of the tragedy came after Sonia Cristal Jimenez, 38, walked into Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 appearing as if she’d just given birth, only to have no baby with her.
Alarmed staff in turn contacted Las Cruces police.
Las Cruces boyfriend rushed girlfriend to hospital after believing she’d had miscarriage
Jimenez’s boyfriend who took her to the hospital, told cops he thought she was having a miscarriage, and mentioned to staff the couple had been at Burn Lake about six miles away, where Jimenez had used a port-a-potty.
Las Cruces police raced to the scene where they found the newborn girl’s body in the toilet’s holding tank.
Investigators believe Jimenez gave birth to a baby girl, cut the umbilical cord and placed the child in the holding tank where she drowned.
Jimenez was arrested Wednesday and charged with one felony count of intentional child abuse resulting in death, police said.
‘This is one of the most heartbreaking and disturbing cases I have encountered in my career,’ Las Cruces police Chief Jeremy Story told the Sante Fe New Mexican.
Autopsy determined newborn was alive at birth and had inhaled and swallowed chemicals after thrown down portable toilet
An autopsy on Jimenez’s baby showed she was alive at birth.
Authorities said evidence showed the newborn inhaled and swallowed the sanitation liquid used in the porta potty.
‘The blue chemical was found in the baby’s trachea, lungs and stomach confirming that she breathed and swallowed the liquid while alive,’ police said.
Jimenez was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center where she is being held without bond.
‘We will work closely with the district attorney’s office to pursue justice for this baby,’ Story added.
Police said they do not anticipate charging her boyfriend, saying they believe he was unaware she had given birth.
Not immediately clear is why Jiminez had not simply elected to give the newborn away at a Safe Haven center? Or whether she had meant to punish the boyfriend by denying him fatherhood?
