HARRIS COUNTY – In the last three months, there have been six separate incidents involving abandoned babies in Harris County. Within the last week, two newborns were found dead just days apart.
Here is a recap of the last three months:
Recommended Videos
August 20: A lawn crew found the body of a newborn baby in front of a concrete industrial plant in the 15000 block of Henry Road in the Aldine area around 2 p.m. According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the infant was found partially clothed and laying on a blanket in a ditch. A detective at the scene said the newborn appeared to be a Black female and the umbilical cord was still attached. They believed she was only in the ditch for a matter of hours.
A cause and manner of death has not been released. No suspects have been identified, and anyone with any information that can help investigators are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS or the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000.
August 14: A newborn baby boy was found dead inside of a trash bin in Northwest Harris County. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said waste collection workers made the gruesome discovery while they were servicing the neighborhood in the 13200 block of Fountain Crest Drive. The baby’s body was in the back of a trash compactor inside the truck. Surveillance video captured the moment crews noticed the body. Investigators say the baby was estimated to be around one-day to 30-days-old and his umbilical cord was still attached.
According to HCSO, they identified the infant’s birth mother. Investigators say the mother experienced severe abdominal pain and ended up giving birth Sunday morning and passed out. They say when she came to, she found the baby unresponsive and deceased. Investigators tell us the mother claims she was scared and admitted to throwing the baby’s deceased body in the trash.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences completed their pathology exam. Due to the extent of the baby’s injuries, the pathologist classified the manner of death as “undetermined”. It is also undetermined if the infant was born alive or stillborn. At this time, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office have not filed formal charges.
July 22: Court records show a Pasadena father is accused of abandoning his two-month-old baby girl behind a dumpster along Crenshaw Road near Beltway 8. Records reveal the father, identified as 28-year-old Anferne Gray, was experiencing a mental health crisis and no longer wanted to care for his daughter. Investigators say Gray called the baby’s birth mother and told her he would leave the baby at a nearby fire station. The baby was nowhere to be found in that area, prompting a search by Houston Police. According to detectives, Gray returned to his motel, left the baby strapped in a car seat by the motel pool for some time, before walking across the street and placing the baby behind the dumpsters.
He now faces one charge of abandonment of a child with intent to return and his bond has been set to $100,000.
July 21: A young mother is accused of giving a birth to a baby, and then throwing the baby in a dumpster in Southwest Houston. 18-year-old Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam was arrested July 23 and charged with a third-degree felony of abandoning a child without intent to return.
HPD says Cux-Ajtzalam allegedly gave birth to a baby boy on the ground behind a taco truck she was working at in the 6020 block of Dashwood Drive. After giving birth, court records indicate the teen allegedly tied the baby, placenta and umbilical cord into a trash bag before placing it inside a dumpster nearby. HPD says a passerby heard the baby crying and called 911. The baby was taken to an area hospital, where its conditions remain unknown.
Cux-Ajtzalam is currently in jail on a $200,00 bond.
June 25: Police were called to a Jack in the Box off Howard Drive near the Gulf Freeway for reports of a newborn baby found abandoned at a donation box down the road on Winkler Drive. HPD says a 28-year-old woman believed to be the baby’s mother was found a block away in the 8500 block of Winkler Drive. Both the baby and woman were taken to the hospital for further evaluation. CPS was contacted in the case. It is unclear if charges were formally brought against the woman.
June 15: A Northwest Harris County family taking a walk in the Plantation Lakes neighborhood found a newborn baby girl abandoned on a walking trail along the 5400 block of Casa Martin Drive. The baby was found around 9 a.m. wrapped in a towel with its umbilical cord still attached. Security camera video in the area captured a man placing the baby on the trail minutes before the discovery.
The newborn was quickly taken to the hospital. According to HCSO, the infant now named Emmelie Grace Doe, was discharged from the hospital on June 21 and placed with a foster family.
The man in the video has not been identified. He is described as a young, slim Hispanic or white man with fair complexion and black hair. He was wearing a black shirt and possible gray pants. If you know anything about this incident, you can make an anonymous tip to Crimestoppers at 713-222-TIPS.