WATCH: Hobbs newborn was in a trashbag, dumpster for more than 6 hours

Published: Jan. 10, 2022 at 1:16 PM CST|Updated: Jan. 10, 2022 at 4:44 PM CST
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HOBBS, NM (KCBD) - Hobbs Police investigators gave an update on the case after an 18-year-old was arrested after admitting to police she put her newborn in a trash bag and in a dumpster Friday afternoon.

Security video shows the moment when 18-year-old Alexis Avila pulled up in a white car, open the back passenger door, grab a black bag, toss it into the dumpster and then leave.

The child was left in the dumpster around 2 p.m. The video then shows three people around the dumpster, which is behind a business, start looking in the dumpsters around 7:45 p.m. It appears a woman quickly opens the black bag after a man pulled it out of the dumpster. The woman then grabs the child and comforts it, trying to keep it warm.

When police arrived, they found two men standing near the dumpsters and a female inside a pickup holding the newborn baby. The baby was wrapped in a dirty and wet bath towel. The baby was covered in dried blood and the umbilical cord was still attached.

The child, a boy, was taken to a local hospital but then transferred to Covenant Hospital and is listed in stable condition.

The two men and woman told police they were going through the dumpsters behind the mall in Hobbs looking for anything of value. They heard the cries and thought it was a kitten or puppy. They removed the black trash bag and found the baby.

Police say the newborn was in the dumpster for about six hours.

Because of the security video, police were able to find the vehicle Avila drove at her home. Her mother answered the door and said Avila was asleep. Avila agreed to speak with detectives.

She told police she was not aware she was pregnant until the 6th of January when she went to the dr. for abdominal pain and constipation. On Friday, Jan. 7, she was experiencing stomach pain and unexpectedly gave birth. She told police she panicked and did not know what to do or who to call. She said she cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby in a towel, then put the child in a white trash bag with some trash, then put that bag in a larger black trash bag. She told police she then started driving around until she decided to place the baby inside a green-colored dumpster near the JCPenney store.

When asked what she thought would happen to the baby, she did not respond.

She told police who she believed was the father of the child, but his name will not be released because he is a juvenile. Avila said she ended the relationship with him in August.

Avila’s parents said they did not know she was pregnant and told police they knew she was having some stomach problems.

Evidence was collected from the house, Avila’s vehicle and the dumpster.

Security video shows the moment when 18-year-old Alexis Avila pulled up in a white car, open...
Security video shows the moment when 18-year-old Alexis Avila pulled up in a white car, open the back passenger door, grab a black bag, toss it into the dumpster and then leave.(Hobbs Police Department)

Avila was arrested and charged with attempted murder and/or child abuse. She was arrested on a warrant and processed in the Hobbs City Jail. She spent about an hour in jail before being released.

The case is still under investigation.

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