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An 18-year-old has been arrested after she gave birth at a food truck before leaving the newborn in a nearby dumpster tied inside a trash bag.
Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, from Houston, told police she “had no choice” but to put her baby boy in the dumpster because she was concerned that her boyfriend would break up with her, according to The Houston Chronicle. She was arrested on Thursday after giving birth on July 21, police reported.
The young woman gave birth behind the taco truck where she works in southwest Houston, according to court documents cited by Law and Crime.
“[Cux-Ajtzalam] put the child, placenta, & umbilical cord into a trash bag, took the trash bag to a dumpster, & left the child in the dumpster tied inside the trash bag,” a magistrate judge wrote in a court filing.
Hours later, a passerby heard the baby crying and called police. Video footage of the rescue from ABC13 shows paramedics holding the awake and alert baby while standing next to a dumpster brimming with trash. The video then shows officers wrapping the newborn in a blanket, his hair still wet.
The newborn was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital, Law and Crime reports. He is in good health and in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Cux-Ajtzalam, who was captured on camera during the event, faces a felony child abandonment charge. Harris County District Judge Veronica Nelson said in court on Friday it was “pure luck” the newborn was found and survived, emphasizing the severe heat in the Texas city.
“Given the fact that it’s the middle of summer in Houston, Texas, and the temperature at the time noting the danger to the child, under those circumstances, I’m going to set the bail in this case at $90,000,” Nelson said.
Cux-Ajtzalam, who is from Guatemala, is being held at the Harris County Jail.
Her bond was raised to $200,000 when she made a second court appearance on Monday, ABC7 Chicago reported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also placed a hold on her release, according to Law and Crime.
The Independent has contacted the Harris County Public Defender’s office for comment.
