LAS CRUCES, N.M. (TCN) — A woman suspected of giving birth in a porta potty and leaving the infant there to drown in the holding tank has been arrested and charged with child abuse resulting in death, authorities say.
On Feb. 7, hospital staff contacted police about a woman who appeared to have just given birth but did not have a baby with her, according to a news release from the city of Las Cruces. Sonia Cristal Jimenez, 38, had been accompanied to the hospital by her boyfriend, who mentioned to police that they had recently been at a nearby lake and that Jimenez had used a portable toilet.
Police went to Burn Lake and located the porta potty, where they found a deceased newborn in the holding tank. Investigators suspected Jimenez had given birth in the toilet, cut the umbilical cord, and then put the child into the holding tank, where she drowned, according to the news release. An autopsy revealed the infant was alive when she was put in the porta potty. The blue liquid commonly used to sanitize such toilets was found in the child’s lungs, trachea, and stomach.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports police wrote in a statement of probable cause, “By intentionally placing the newborn into a portable toilet containing liquid waste and chemical fluid, and by intentionally failing to rescue or provide care to the child, the defendant knowingly and intentionally placed the child in a life-threatening situation, which directly resulted in the infant’s death.”
A warrant was put out for Jimenez’s arrest, and she was taken into custody Feb. 11.
Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Story said, “This is one of the most heartbreaking and disturbing cases I have encountered in my career. We will work closely with the District Attorney’s Office to pursue justice for this baby girl,” the Santa Fe New Mexican reports.
According to the news release, police do not believe Jimenez’s boyfriend was aware she had given birth, and no charges against him are anticipated.
Jimenez is being held without bond at the Dona Ana County Jail.
