FORT WORTH, Texas (TCN) — A 23-year-old woman is facing a capital murder charge in connection with the death of her newborn, whom police allege was drowned in a bathtub before the mother’s boyfriend allegedly disposed of the remains in a dumpster.
On Oct. 18, a homeless woman searching through a dumpster allegedly found a deceased newborn baby inside a bag, KDFW reports. Responding officers said the infant appeared to have been dead for some time. The following day, a concerned relative called authorities to request a welfare check on Avia Cantrell because she was due to give birth soon.
According to the family member, Cantrell allegedly had a history of not disclosing pregnancy or childbirth, as well as allegedly giving birth unattended, Law & Crime reports.
Police made contact with Cantrell and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Camron Baker, and her other children at the motel where she had been living for two years, according to KDFW. Cantrell allegedly confessed to police that after giving birth in the motel room, she left the baby face-down in the bathtub for about 30 minutes.
Cantrell claimed she called her boyfriend and told him the baby was gone, and the two allegedly kept the remains in a bag for several days. Baker allegedly said they did not seek medical attention because they did not want to “catch a case,” per KDFW. Baker allegedly put the infant’s remains inside a luggage bag and placed it in a dumpster on Oct. 18, where they were discovered later that day.
Cantrell is facing a charge of capital murder of a person under 10 years old and Baker is facing a charge of abuse of a corpse, per KDFW. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services told the outlet Cantrell’s other children are in the custody of a relative and Cantrell’s family allegedly has a history with the agency.
According to Law & Crime, Cantrell is behind bars with no bond at the Tarrant County Jail. As of Oct. 20, Baker is not listed as an inmate.
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