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

[iamshadow21]

Please see my post #11
"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’

Okay, thank you.

 

[mewmew]

It sounds like she had no trusted adult in her life, at least not in the country, as police reported that she had no ties to the country. I am also not trying to excuse her, but with no trusted adult nearby and a mental disorder, I’m not entirely convinced she knew her options or understood them. Also curious about the boyfriend - why would he have broken up with her? Is she fearful of him? How is her English? How did she end up here? I am extremely glad her baby was found and saved. She obviously made a very poor choice. But I do feel that there is much more to this story. All JMO

ETA: ok, after reading that she wrapped the baby in plastic/a garbage bag, I have quite a bit more anger towards her. That’s just wrong.

 

[LadyL]

we need to stop minimizing these crimes as poor choices
she tried to murder her baby
she's an attempted murderer
JMO

 

[Dre]

we need to stop minimizing these crimes as poor choices
she murdered her baby
she's a murderer
JMO

thank god her baby actually survived!

 

[mewmew]

we need to stop minimizing these crimes as poor choices
she murdered her baby
she's a murderer
JMO

I’m not minimizing anything. I said there’s more to the story. And it’s been reported she has a mental disorder. Just waiting to hear more before making judgment.

 

[LadyL]

thank god her baby actually survived!

thank you I edited my post wording

 

[seasideForest]

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.

No, I doubt it is legal or socially acceptable in Guatemala.

Of course it is your responsibility to know and follow the laws of a country you're in. That doesn't mean to say that everybody always manages, even in their own country, never mind a foreign country. And sometimes there may be extenuating circumstances. An undocumented migrant is not in the best position in a lot of ways, MOO.

Maybe read GeorgiaJean's posts? They say it better than I do. MOO

 

[Goecke]

Should she face consequences? Yes.
Should the fact that she is 1) mentally disabled and 2) a recent undocumented migrant from a country without sex ed, legal abortion, or easy access to birth control factor into determining what the appropriate consequences should be? Also yes. None of us are saying what she did was okay by any stretch of the imagination, just that the circumstances that lead up to her doing this should be considered.

 

[MissMalowe]

No, I doubt it is legal or socially acceptable in Guatemala.

Of course it is your responsibility to know and follow the laws of a country you're in. That doesn't mean to say that everybody always manages, even in their own country, never mind a foreign country. And sometimes there may be extenuating circumstances. An undocumented migrant is not in the best position in a lot of ways, MOO.

Maybe read GeorgiaJean's posts? They say it better than I do. MOO

An inability to manage following the law is a criminal behavior/activity issue, not a geography or citizenship issue, imo.

I'm not of the opinion that one's position in society (whether it be "not the best" or exceptionally great) or their birthplace should determine whether or not they are held legally or socially accountable for a crime they committed in Texas.

 

[mickey2942]

I don't think there is much, if any, effort put into educating people about this option. Especially kids/teens.

And in various languages, access to different cultures. I have often wondered if so many people miss out on information, because they may not be able to read print.

It may surprise people that the average level of literacy in the United States is less than 6th grade.

That being said, there is zero excuse for this behavior. Zero. Just leave the baby next to the trash, not wrapped in a bag and tossed in the trash.

 

[georgiajean]

Should she face consequences? Yes.
Should the fact that she is 1) mentally disabled and 2) a recent undocumented migrant from a country without sex ed, legal abortion, or easy access to birth control factor into determining what the appropriate consequences should be? Also yes. None of us are saying what she did was okay by any stretch of the imagination, just that the circumstances that lead up to her doing this should be considered.

Goecke, I appreciate your post, which is also how I view this case. We see a lot of horrible things in the US, especially here on Websleuths. As I was looking more into Guatemala, I was shocked by how little is available to people, compared to here, and by the "normalized" awful treatment of children. Children with disabilities? Really hard life there, no education opportunities (see source below) and many are dropped at orphanages or abandoned at hospitals. Children who grow up in orphanages often have very difficult lives, really hard to get a start.

In the US, If people know to ask, there are a lot of supports/resources people can access when in difficult circumstances. But if you've not only grown up in a country like Guatemala, and have some type of mental disability, and are in constant fear of being deported back to Guatemala, I can see how you wouldn't even think about asking for help. Likely illiterate in Spanish as well (according to sources below)

Again, no excuse for treating a newborn as trash, and I am really glad the baby was found and getting what he needs. My opinion is that this is a more complicated case due to many factors, including the ones listed in Goecke's post.

For anyone interested in learning more about treatment of children in Guatemala, here are the sources for the info above, and lots more. I think this is relevant, as it is likely what this teen experienced. And depending on timing of her travel from Guatemala and the incident with border security, she may have been pregnant due to a rape (my opinion only). (Source for Border control info)
Children of Guatemala - Humanium
"Poverty-driven desperation and institutional failings mean that Guatemalan children are constantly exposed to violence, forced labour, exploitation and abuse, exacerbated by a lack of opportunities. "
"Heightened risk to girls’ security and cultural norms that prioritize boys’ education contributes to the high illiteracy rates among girls in Guatemala (US Department of Labour, 2020). "
"Despite public education being free up to grade six, there are an insufficient number of primary and secondary schools across the country. The Ministry of Education does not provide public schools with textbooks and schools do not have established programs to support children with disabilities. Across Guatemala, over 70% of secondary schools are private, requiring families to pay tuition fees. Increasing rates of poverty mean that these schools are inaccessible to many children (US Department of Labour, 2020)."
The section on Child Labor is harrowing to read. I can't quote it all, but "Guatemala is a destination country for child sex tourism, predominantly for tourists coming from Canada, the US and Europe. Guatemalan children and migrant and refugee children are some of the most prevalent victims of sexual exploitation and sex tourism (US Department of Labour, 2020). "

Another good source for info about Child Labor: Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Guatemala

 

[georgiajean]

For reference, a similar case in New Mexico from 2022, where a birth mother abandoned baby in dumpster, is being charged: "The 18-year-old mother was charged with attempted first-degree murder and alternatively, felony abuse of a child, " She said she didn't know she was pregnant, but this was corrected by friends and the father.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/11/us/abandoned-baby-dumpster-stable-condition-mother-charged/index.html

She pled not-guilty, and the father (a 16 year old) and his parents were trying to get custody of the child. New Mexico mother pleads not guilty to dumping newborn in dumpster
In 2023, she was sentenced to 18 years. Alexis Avila Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Throwing Her Newborn in a New Mexico Shopping Center Dumpster

This young woman from Guatemala, I am thinking she will have a greater sentence, as well as eventual deportation.

 

[georgiajean]

People has an excellent article, including a video with footage of the food truck. Mom Allegedly Left Newborn in Dumpster Because She 'Didn’t Want Her Boyfriend to Break Up With Her': Police
Edited to add the original source of the video, which has transcript of the video, too: Video shows EMS rescuing newborn abandoned in dumpster near SW Houston apartment complex

This video and article clarify a few facts.
The young woman gave birth INSIDE the food truck, in the back area (not on the ground behind the truck). After putting the newborn in the trash, she went back and cleaned up the food truck.
The food truck had been at that location for about 3 months.
The others who worked in the truck, and the owner, have all been questioned and were allowed to go back to work or leave (which begs the question, has the food truck been cleared to be a food preparation place, after being the scene of this crime?)

 

[airportwoman]

I don't think there is much, if any, effort put into educating people about this option. Especially kids/teens.

Speaking only for myself, in my old town, they had posters in the girls' restrooms at the junior high, high school, and both colleges. I know this because I went to events at all those places.

Maybe she hadn't gone to school?

 

[airportwoman]

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.

Or like I told my college roommate when a story like that was on our local news, "She could have knocked on our door and left that baby with us!" and quickly added, "If anyone does that, we'll call the police right away."

 

[MissMalowe]

Texas ranks #2 in the US for highest population of Spanish speakers and in Houston specifically, 38% of their population is Spanish speaking. As for the demographics, Houston is mostly Hispanics and Latinos (44% of the population) With those numbers it's difficult to understand how a language barrier would have been a large issue.

Demographics of Houston - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Houston, Texas Population 2024

worldpopulationreview.com

 

[Knox]

I'm not saying this 18 year-old girl did the right thing, thank God that baby was found so quickly. But some compassion may be in order here, MOO.

 

[iamshadow21]

I'm not saying this 18 year-old girl did the right thing, thank God that baby was found so quickly. But some compassion may be in order here, MOO.

I have plenty of compassion for people who are placed in terrible circumstances by an unwanted pregnancy. But that compassion immediately shifts to the infant the moment the parent treats that child like garbage.

There are plenty of places that a child can be left safely out of the weather where they will be found by a passerby and taken into care. There are safe havens, yes, but a simple knock and run/ding dong dash at a residence where someone is obviously home works just as well.

Kids don't belong in the garbage.

MOO

 

[Knox]

I have plenty of compassion for people who are placed in terrible circumstances by an unwanted pregnancy. But that compassion immediately shifts to the infant the moment the parent treats that child like garbage.

There are plenty of places that a child can be left safely out of the weather where they will be found by a passerby and taken into care. There are safe havens, yes, but a simple knock and run/ding dong dash at a residence where someone is obviously home works just as well.

Kids don't belong in the garbage.

MOO

Do you think I believe a child belongs in the garbage?

 

[iamshadow21]

Do you think I believe a child belongs in the garbage?

No, not at all, I was stating my own opinion. Continuing the conversation, not pointing a finger.