Mom left her newborn in dumpster so her boyfriend wouldn’t break up with her

July 30, 2024 Justin Peters

A deeply troubling incident in Texas has led to the arrest of an 18-year-old mother, Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, who abandoned her newborn in a dumpster to avoid a breakup with her boyfriend.

Cux-Ajtzalam faces a felony charge of abandoning a child without intent to return, according to court records.

The criminal complaint filed in Harris County District Court details that on July 21, 2024, Cux-Ajtzalam gave birth behind the food truck where she worked. She then placed her newborn son into a tied garbage bag along with the placenta and umbilical cord. She discarded the bag in a dumpster located in the 6000 block of Dashwood Drive in Houston, Texas.

A passerby heard the infant’s cries and alerted authorities. Responding to the 911 call around 1:15 p.m., Houston Police officers and emergency medical personnel retrieved the baby from the dumpster.

The newborn was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital, where he was found to be in stable condition and later placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Investigators quickly linked the abandoned baby to Cux-Ajtzalam. During an interview, she allegedly confessed to abandoning her child out of fear that her boyfriend would end their relationship.

The entire incident was captured on surveillance footage, as noted in the bond order.

Cux-Ajtzalam, a Guatemalan national, first appeared in court on Friday, where Harris County District Court Judge Veronica M. Nelson criticized her actions. “It was pure luck that the child was found,” Nelson stated, emphasizing the severe risk to the baby given the summer heat in Houston. Judge Nelson set Cux-Ajtzalam’s bail at $90,000, noting the grave danger the child faced.

Prosecutors had requested a bond of $150,000, while Cux-Ajtzalam’s public defender sought a bond of $7,500. Despite the bail amount being set, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a hold on her release. Cux-Ajtzalam remains detained at the Harris County Jail and is scheduled for a court appearance on Monday.

This case underscores the desperate and tragic decisions some individuals make under pressure, and the importance of community vigilance and support for vulnerable individuals. The newborn’s survival, thanks to the alert passerby, brings a glimmer of hope amid the heartbreaking circumstances.