TX - Mother left newborn in dumpster because she didn't want boyfriend to break up with her - July 29, 2024

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Clearsky

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According to a criminal complaint filed in the District Court for Harris County, Cux-Ajtzalam on July 21, 2024, is accused of giving birth “on the ground behind the food truck where she works” and then taking the baby — referred to in documents as “John Doe” or “CW” — and placing him in “a tied garbage bag” and leaving him in a dumpster in the 6000 block of Dashwood Drive in Houston, Texas.
[snip]
Police quickly connected the newborn to the food truck and tracked down Cux-Ajtzalam. In an interview with detectives, Cux-Ajtzalam allegedly said that she “had no choice” but to put the baby in the dumpster because “she didn’t want her boyfriend to break up with her,” the bond order stated, adding that the “event” was caught on surveillance camera footage.
Mom left newborn in dumpster because "she didn't want her boyfriend to break up with her": Cops

Cux-Ajtzalam is said to be a flight risk, having no ties to the country. She is currently in jail with a $90,000 bond.

Her next court date is set for July 29.
Mom arrested after allegedly placing newborn in dumpster with umbilical cord, placenta just moments after giving birth

thank goodness for the passerby who heard the baby's cries. I hope CW lives a long and happy life with loving parents.
 
There were about 5 Emergency places she could have dropped the baby off within a mile or less of where she put the baby in the dumpster! 2 were less than 1/2 mile away..... There is NO EXCUSE!
How wellknown is it among teenagers that there are emergency drop off places where an unwanted baby can be left? Will that drop off be anonymous, or are authorities going try to find the mother? Did the girl know about those places?
 
How wellknown is it among teenagers that there are emergency drop off places where an unwanted baby can be left? Will that drop off be anonymous, or are authorities going try to find the mother? Did the girl know about those places?

I don't think there is much, if any, effort put into educating people about this option. Especially kids/teens.
 
If she didn't know about or think that those options existed, would she done a search for those?
Even without knowing of a “safe drop off” location, she could have made an educated guess about where to leave them where they’d be found quickly: next to a hospital door, at a fire station, a library, at this point a Walmart lobby or inside a gas station would have been less negligent than literally throwing a baby away. A choice to leave this baby anywhere with any foot traffic would have been better. I don’t think she cared that this child would have likely died. IMO ofc.
 
How wellknown is it among teenagers that there are emergency drop off places where an unwanted baby can be left? Will that drop off be anonymous, or are authorities going try to find the mother? Did the girl know about those places?
They have billboards, signs, they talk about it in school, and radio ads with info and a number to call if you need info or help finding a safe drop off spot.... Drops off are hand the child off and leave. They will try to give you a packet to use for resources and I think it is a bracelet to show that you are you IF you want to come back and reunite with you child. They are trying to get more Baby Boxes that are 100% just drop baby in, take packet if you wish and leave. You don't get pregnant and have a baby in one day she had months to make sure her boyfriend didn't find out.
 
NY Post article quotes/cites a Houston media report. The teen is a Guatemalan national, and is reported to be undocumented.

"Cux-Ajtzalam was also previously arrested in 2023 by Customs and Border Protection and has an undisclosed mental disability, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle."
Teen mom chillingly said she ‘had no choice’ but to abandon newborn in dumpster after child was found by ‘pure luck’

When I saw her photo, I immediately thought she might have some kind of mental disability, just something about her face and the way she looked at the camera (I am a teacher, work with a lot of students who have learning disabilities). Glad the baby was found in time, and is doing okay in child protective services.

Photo from NY Post article 1722534256126.png
 
They have billboards, signs, they talk about it in school, and radio ads with info and a number to call if you need info or help finding a safe drop off spot.... Drops off are hand the child off and leave. They will try to give you a packet to use for resources and I think it is a bracelet to show that you are you IF you want to come back and reunite with you child. They are trying to get more Baby Boxes that are 100% just drop baby in, take packet if you wish and leave. You don't get pregnant and have a baby in one day she had months to make sure her boyfriend didn't find out.
I'm not trying to excuse her - abandoning a newborn baby in a dumpster is deplorable - but she's not from the US and so she didn't go to school here and have the opportunity to learn those types of things. Who knows how good her knowledge of English was, too. MOO
 
How do you give birth on your own in a public space with nobody knowing?

That is a good question. Maybe she worked alone and no one came around during the end of the labor?

It's sad to think about an 18-year-old giving birth alone on the ground and not having anyone to turn to except a boyfriend who wouldn't be interested.

She may not have known about "safe havens," but I think she did know what would happen to the baby. If she has a mental disability, I wonder at what age she operates. Yet she is able to hold down a job, handle cash/change, etc. presumably, if she works in a food truck. JMO. Sad case.
 
If she didn't know about or think that those options existed, would she done a search for those?

Google search:

"I'm pregnant what are my options"

"Can I anonymously leave my baby somewhere"

"Options for young pregnant mothers"

"Is it illegal to leave my baby at the hospital"

"Teen pregnancy support"

Alternatively, she could have asked her own current or previous family doctor about options. Pregnancy/birth is a medical.event, so seeking out a medical professional for care or advice is not out of the ordinary but recommended.

Any other trusted adult in her life or even her employer would have been some other choices.

We are at a time where you have access at your fingertips to basically any piece of information. I can open my garage, turn my lights on, turn off my crockpot, and turn up my thermostat from my phone before I even arrive home and this young adult woman couldn't do a couple vital google searches about her situation in nearly a year's time? Or the day of?
 
I'm not trying to excuse her - abandoning a newborn baby in a dumpster is deplorable - but she's not from the US and so she didn't go to school here and have the opportunity to learn those types of things. Who knows how good her knowledge of English was, too. MOO
Is it legal or socially acceptable in Guatemala to put a live baby in a trash bag and dispose of it into a trash dumpster?

As someone who lived abroad as a minor and as an adult, not growing up or going to school in the place you currently reside is not an acceptable reason to not abide by the laws, whether you are fluent, know enough to get by or don't speak a single word of the local language. It's your responsibility to know and follow the laws whether you are a resident, vacationer, on business or just passing through on your way to your final destination.
 
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Based on what little I have been able to find out, a teenager coming from Guatemala likely with no resources, no connections, and with some form of mental disability would probably struggle to make any decisions beyond perceived survival. Working in a food truck...was this family, or someone who hired her? Maybe a sponsor who got her across the border in exchange for her working? Did she work in the kitchen part, or interface with customers? Where did she sleep? Is she here with family or friends or all alone? There are resources for undocumented immigrants in Texas, including health care, but I can imagine that fear of being sent back to Guatemala and the violence, corruption, and poverty there might cause some if not many to avoid accessing any services that might bring authorities. Is her boyfriend her age, or an older man? Whoever it is, is he taking advantage of her, or does he truly care for her? It sounds like she make depend on him for survival, and either she thought, or knows, she would lose that with the birth.
The only positive in all this is that baby has a chance, thanks to the right people passing by at the right time.
(Source for mental disability:
"Cux-Ajtzalam was also previously arrested in 2023 by Customs and Border Protection and has an undisclosed mental disability, according to records obtained by the Houston Chronicle."
Teen mom chillingly said she ‘had no choice’ but to abandon newborn in dumpster after child was found by ‘pure luck’
 
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Based on what little I have been able to find out, a teenager coming from Guatemala likely with no resources, no connections, and with some form of mental disability would probably struggle to make any decisions beyond perceived survival. Working in a food truck...was this family, or someone who hired her? Maybe a sponsor who got her across the border in exchange for her working? Did she work in the kitchen part, or interface with customers? Where did she sleep? Is she here with family or friends or all alone? There are resources for undocumented immigrants in Texas, including health care, but I can imagine that fear of being sent back to Guatemala and the violence, corruption, and poverty there might cause some if not many to avoid accessing any services that might bring authorities. Is her boyfriend her age, or an older man? Whoever it is, is he taking advantage of her, or does he truly care for her? It sounds like she make depend on him for survival, and either she thought, or knows, she would lose that with the birth.
The only positive in all this is that baby has a chance, thanks to the right people passing by at the right time.
Source for this person having any kind of disability or mental illness, please.

MOO
 
Some background info on life in Guatemala:
Teens in Guatemala have little to no reproductive/sexual health education, nor access to easily obtained birth control. Unwanted pregnancies are common. Both sex education and abortion are prohibited by law in Guatemala, but lots of illegal abortions, 1/3 of which have complications that lead to hospitalization or death. The Way We Help Women in Guatemala – Health & Help

There are currently over 500,000 orphans in Guatemala, and one child is abandoned in Guatemala City every 4 days. Guatemala - All God's Children

International adoption was ended in Guatemala in 2008, due to corruption (including stealing of babies to sell them!!). The end of adoptions led to increased orphans. There is no foster care system. There are about 150 orphanages throughout the country. https://transformingfutures.org/why-does-guatemala-have-so-many-orphanages/

I would like to understand more about her upbringing and reasons for coming to the US, and who the father of this child is. There are so few resources in Guatemala, with a 70% poverty rate.
 

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