Inset: Jerry Lee Martinez (Kleberg County Jail). Background: Walmart in Kingsville, Texas, where Martinez”s daughter gave birth to a baby, cops say (Google Maps).
A 45-year-old Texas father has landed himself behind bars after his daughter allegedly gave birth to a baby in the bathroom of a Walmart.
The baby was later pronounced dead.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Walmart employees called the Kingsville Police Department after they found a newborn in a trash can in the bathroom. Employees were conducting lifesaving efforts on the baby, who was then transported to a local hospital, police said. Doctors pronounced the infant dead, according to a press release.
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Cops looked at surveillance video, which showed a 17-year-old girl walk into the bathroom. After about 40 minutes inside, she came out and walked to her car in the parking lot, police said. Some 30 minutes passed until the employees found the baby.
Around 11 p.m., officers spotted the teen’s vehicle and stopped her. Paramedics rushed the girl to the hospital, where she is receiving treatment, per the press release. Police arrested the girl’s father, 45-year-old Jerry Lee Martinez, on a charge of abandoning/endangering a child with criminal negligence. He’s at the Kleberg County Jail without bond.
The teen remains hospitalized and police plan to interview her once she’s released.
The press release did not say whether the baby was alive at birth or how the child died. Cops say more information is forthcoming.
“We extend our deepest condolences to all affected by this tragic event,” police wrote.
Cops continue to investigate the incident.
Kingsville is located about 45 miles southwest of Corpus Christi.
Texas has a Baby Moses Law, also known as the Safe Haven Law, which allows parents to drop off a baby less than 60 days old at a designated emergency infant care provider.
