Baby found dead in hospital trash, Artesia teen charged

ARTESIA, N.M. — Police arrested a 19-year-old Artesia woman accused of putting her newborn baby in a trash bag at a hospital, killing him.

Alexee Trevizo faces a first-degree murder charge with the alternative of child abuse resulting in death. She also faces a charge of tampering with evidence.

Investigators found Trevizo went to Artesia General Hospital in late January, reporting back pains.

She reportedly denied being pregnant before doctors did lab work and found she was pregnant. For an extended period of time, Trevizo allegedly locked herself in the restroom.

After Trevizo came back, a housekeeper found a large blood spill in the restroom. Then, the housekeeper called two nurses over after finding the trash bag in there was heavier than usual.

Nurses came in and found the baby in the trash.

Trevizo reportedly told doctors her baby wasn’t breathing when he came out of the womb. She allegedly claimed she didn’t know what to do with the baby because he wasn’t crying.

So, investigators say, she said she put the baby in the bag.

Investigators determined the baby was born alive, then died shortly after birth. They suspected the baby died because he was trapped inside the bag and couldn’t breathe.

An OMI autopsy ruled March 28 the baby’s death was a homicide. Police charged and arrested Trevizo with first-degree murder Wednesday.

Trevizo made her first court appearance Thursday. The district attorney filed for pretrial detention, which will be heard in district court Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

The Artesia Police Department released the following statement:

“Our officers and crime scene investigator, along with the hospital staff, experienced a heartbreaking situation on that January morning and have been coping with what they encountered. One of the worst calls any first responder or public service person has to respond to, is the severe injury or death of a child.  We are expected to be “tough” in those types of incidents because of our job titles, but in all actuality, we are quite the opposite after we have time to process what happened.  Our routine calls of service or emergency responses are usually carried out easily with commitment and dedication to our city, but a call like this can be a breaking point for some or all of those involved. It’s important that we provide the very best resources, counseling, and stress management tools to help our staff cope with this traumatic event, so that they may continue their dedicated service.”