Surveillance video shows mother dumping newborn in New Mexico dumpster

HOBBS, NM – It’s an absolutely heartbreaking story.

An 18-year-old in New Mexico is facing charges after reportedly admitting to throwing her baby in a dumpster shortly after delivering it Friday afternoon.

A store owner near where it happened shared a surveillance video that appears to show her doing it.

Joe Imbriale recalled the moment the Hobbs Police Department asked to review security video from his store after a baby was believed to have been thrown in it.

“This should not have happened,” Imbraile said. “There’s other ways to give a baby away, but you don’t dump it. You just don’t. I’m sorry.”

The security video above lays out what happened on January 7.

You can see on the security video it is 2 p.m. when a white car pulls up to the dumpster.

A woman exits the driver’s side of the car, opens the back passenger door, grabs a black bag, and throws it into the dumpster. She then proceeds to leave.

Fast forward to 7:42 pm. A group of people appear to be looking through the dumpster when they come across a black bag. You can see a woman pull out a baby and begin walking with it. Minutes later police arrive at the scene.

“Luckily, we had dumpster divers back there and they pulled it out and they didn’t even know what was in the bag,” Imbriale said.

According to a press release, investigators were able to locate the suspected vehicle.

18-year-old Alexis Avila was interviewed and confessed to giving birth to the child at another location, then placing it in the dumpster.

Avila’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Luckily -- the baby was found alive and taken to a Texas hospital where it is in stable condition.