A newborn baby has miraculously survived after being abandoned by his teenage mother, who tragically claimed she “had no choice” but to leave her child in a dumpster.
Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, an 18-year-old living in Texas, was arrested after being suspected of wrapping her newborn child in a trash bag and throwing him in the trash. She explained to the police that she felt it was a necessary action to take to avoid her boyfriend breaking up with her.
The young mother was arrested on July 25 and now faces a single charge of abandoning a child, which is a felony. The horrific incident took place four days prior to her detainment, on July 21, according to documents in a Harris County District Court criminal complaint.
Cux-Ajtzalam is accused of having given birth to her child “on the ground” next to her work—a food truck—and then, after putting the baby in a “tied garbage bag,” left him in a dumpster. As if being abandoned in the trash was not life-threatening enough, the child was also left to survive the intense July heat of Houston.
The young mother reportedly left her baby, whose umbilical cord was still attached, in the dumpster along with her placenta. The child was saved when, later in the day, someone heard him crying when walking near the dumpster. Houston Police Department officers and other first responders arrived at the scene shortly after one in the afternoon, following a 911 call from the passerby.
Bystanders later released video footage of the rescue crew finding the baby and giving him medical attention. In the heart-wrenching clip, EMS professionals are seen lifting the newborn out of a pile of trash and transferring him to a blanket. The baby’s hair appears to still be wet and his skin pink, indicating he was merely a few hours old.
The food truck where the young mother is suspected to have given birth has become the center of local law enforcement investigations. According to the building manager of a nearby apartment complex where the dumpster was located, the food truck had been parked in its location for about three months.
The baby—found alive and conscious despite the deadly circumstances from which he was recovered—was taken to a hospital for treatment. He is now reportedly healthy and has been given to the care of Child Protective Services (CPS).
Police said the baby boy went to the hospital, where he was determined to be in good health and is now with Child Protective Services. Cux-Ajtzalam was dealt a bond of $90,000. However, her release is currently on hold thanks to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and she is still being held in Harris County Jail. She will return to court on August 5.
Sadly, this tragic tale is not the first of its kind to occur in the Lone Star State. Within the same week, a total of four babies were abandoned in or near dumpsters in Texas, resulting in one death. Such horror stories are too common in that state and have attracted greater attention since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which sparked renewed controversy over abortion legislation in America.
Additionally, dumpster abandonments can easily be avoided by embracing laws related to Safe Haven Baby Boxes—a government-approved method by which overwhelmed parents can give up their infants legally to state authorities. These boxes are safe, effective alternatives to dumpsters and are located in 200 places throughout the country. Though specific regulations vary, all 50 states have designated times and locations in which parents can surrender their babies.
