A 38-year-old woman from Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been charged with one first-degree felony count of intentional child abuse resulting in death after authorities say she gave birth inside a portable toilet and disposed of her newborn daughter in the holding tank.
According to local reporting, Sonia Cristal Jimenez arrived at Memorial Medical Center on the evening of February 7 appearing to have recently given birth. Hospital staff contacted police after determining she did not have a baby with her.
Investigators said Jimenez’s boyfriend told officers the pair had previously been at Burn Lake, where Jimenez used a portable restroom. Las Cruces police responded to the area and searched the site. Authorities ultimately located the deceased newborn inside the holding tank of the portable toilet. Las Cruces firefighters assisted in recovering the infant’s body.
Police believe Jimenez delivered a live baby, cut the umbilical cord, and placed the newborn into the holding tank, where the child drowned.
An autopsy performed by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator concluded the baby was alive when she was placed in the tank. Officials said the infant inhaled and swallowed the blue chemical liquid used in portable-toilet sanitation. The liquid was reportedly found in the baby’s trachea, lungs, and stomach, indicating the newborn breathed it in and ingested it while still alive.
Investigators stated they do not believe Jimenez’s boyfriend knew she had given birth, and authorities indicated no charges against him are expected at this time.
Police obtained a warrant for Jimenez and arrested her Wednesday morning. She was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center and is being held without bond, according to reports.
