An 18-year-old Texas mom has been arrested after giving away her one-month-old baby to a stranger she met at a bus stop, police said.
Karla Ibarra was carrying her infant at a bus stop in downtown San Antonio September 13 when she approached Jennifer Benavides and asked to use her cellphone, KSAT reported.
Benavides was fawning over Ibarra’s baby when the teen handed him over — along with all his federal ID documents — and asked if she wanted to take him.
“She’s like, ‘Well, do you want him? I’m going to give him away. I’m going to give him to somebody,” Benavides recalled.
“She begins handing me his birth certificate, his Medicaid, his Social Security card,” she said.
Realizing Ibarra was being serious about giving her baby away, Benavides brought her to the home of a friend who lived nearby — but the teen mom quickly left the house in an Uber without her son.
Benavides called 911 and she and her friend cared for the baby while they waited for police to arrive.
Ibarra later returned to the home, where she was arrested. The teen mom is charged with abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return.
“It’s upsetting to know that, with even all the resources that we have out there, that somebody would just do this,” Benavides said.
Following Ibarra’s arrest, her child was placed with other relatives, Child Protective Services confirmed.
Texas has the Baby Moses Law, which allows a parent to legally and anonymously surrender their newborn at designated locations without facing any criminal penalties.
The infant must be 60 days old or younger to be left at locations, which include fire stations and hospitals. The baby must be physically handed to an employee or placed in a Safe Baby Box.
The Independent has contacted the San Antonio Police Department for more information.
A judge set Ibarra’s bail at $7,000.
