KINGSVILLE, TX - Authorities are investigating after a baby girl was found in a Walmart trash can on Monday night, July 14th, adding that a 17-year-old is in a "secure location" and her father is facing new charges after police linked him to the alleged incident.
On Tuesday, July 15th, police with the Kingsville Police Department (KPD) added charges of tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence against 45-year-old Jerry Lee Martinez, according to Law & Crime.
Martinez was previously charged with abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence.
On Thursday, July 17th, a judge ordered Martinez held on a $300,000 bond, and he remains at the Kleberg County Jail.
The daughter, however, is not in custody and is currently in a secure location, police said in a news release.
The baby was taken to Christus Spohn Hospital-Kleberg, which is located next to the Walmart, where doctors pronounced her dead.
KPD Police Chief John Blair said that investigators reviewed surveillance video showing a female entering the store and going into a restroom where she remained for 40 minutes before leaving in a vehicle.
Approximately 30 minutes after she left, someone discovered the newborn in the trash.
"The avenue taken last night wasn't the correct one, wasn't a safe one for the mother or the child," Detective Celinda Tatum said.
"We do advise that anytime an incident does occur at any moment, contact police or emergency personnel so that the baby and the mother can get seen medically."
Texas has a Safe Haven Law, also known as the "Baby Moses Law," which allows parents to surrender their newborn to an employee at designated safe places such as hospitals, fire stations, or EMS stations, with no questions asked.
Court documents state that police testified that Martinez is a danger to the community, and that police expect to file additional charges against him.
Police also said that Martinez threatened a witness, who was not identified. Martinez has been ordered not to have any contact with his daughter or his family.
On Tuesday, July 15th, police with the Kingsville Police Department (KPD) added charges of tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence against 45-year-old Jerry Lee Martinez, according to Law & Crime.
Martinez was previously charged with abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence.
On Thursday, July 17th, a judge ordered Martinez held on a $300,000 bond, and he remains at the Kleberg County Jail.
The daughter, however, is not in custody and is currently in a secure location, police said in a news release.
The baby was taken to Christus Spohn Hospital-Kleberg, which is located next to the Walmart, where doctors pronounced her dead.
KPD Police Chief John Blair said that investigators reviewed surveillance video showing a female entering the store and going into a restroom where she remained for 40 minutes before leaving in a vehicle.
Approximately 30 minutes after she left, someone discovered the newborn in the trash.
"The avenue taken last night wasn't the correct one, wasn't a safe one for the mother or the child," Detective Celinda Tatum said.
"We do advise that anytime an incident does occur at any moment, contact police or emergency personnel so that the baby and the mother can get seen medically."
Texas has a Safe Haven Law, also known as the "Baby Moses Law," which allows parents to surrender their newborn to an employee at designated safe places such as hospitals, fire stations, or EMS stations, with no questions asked.
Court documents state that police testified that Martinez is a danger to the community, and that police expect to file additional charges against him.
Police also said that Martinez threatened a witness, who was not identified. Martinez has been ordered not to have any contact with his daughter or his family.
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