The City of Hobbs, the Hobbs Police Department (HPD) and the Hobbs Fire Department (HFD) held a joint press conference on Monday, January 10 to update the public about the abandoned child found in a dumpster in Hobbs on Friday, January 7.
In a prepared statement Acting/Interim HPD Chief August Fons provided many details of the unwinding story. He stated that a newborn was recovered from a dumpster around 7:45 pm, on Friday, January 7, after the Lea County Communications Authority (LCCA) received an emergency 911 call. Both the HPD and HFD EMS (Emergency Medical Services) were immediately dispatched, arriving in minutes to the scene in the alley behind the shopping mall in the 1400 block of North Thorp Street.
Two men were located standing close to a truck, and a woman was sitting in the truck holding a baby. “The baby was wrapped in a bath towel that was dirty and wet and had dried blood on it,” stated Acting Chief Fons reading from the statement. The baby was taken from the female by a HPD officer and given to EMS personnel who immediately transported the infant to Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital for treatment. Later, the newborn was airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock,Texas for further treatment. The infant is now in stable condition.
The woman and the two men who called 911 told HPD officers that they “were going through the dumpster looking for anything of value.” While going through the dumpster, the three heard “what they thought was a baby crying”. Thinking that maybe it was a kitten or a dog, they removed a black trash bag from the dumpster. Upon opening the bag, they found the infant. The female removed the baby from the trash bag and held the child, trying to keep it warm, while one of the males called 911. The male who called 911 identified the baby as an “infant male”.
Acting Chief Fons then applauded the three individuals who found the newborn. He said, “Their collective quick response to this emergency, including calling 911, was absolutely pivitol in saving this baby’s life.”
Acting Chief Fons also said that Joe Imbriale, owner of Rig Outfitters and Home Store, behind which the dumpster was located into which the baby was tossed, cooperated thoroughly with authorities. Acting Chief Fons said that Imbriale’s help was “also pivotal to this investigation.”
From the surveillance video that Imbraile provided, a white Volkswagen Jetta was seen pulling up to the dumpster. A while female, who has been identified as Alexis Avila, age 18, took a garbage bag from the backseat of the Jetta and tossed it into the dumpster. She returned to her car and immediately drove away.
From the surveillance video HPD detectives were able to “get a possible license plate number” and found that the car was registered to Martha Avila of Hobbs. Detectives and officers then went to the home of Martha Avila and were informed that her daughter Alexis was asleep in the home. Authorities discussed the nature of the investigation with Mrs. Avila and her husband, asking if Alexis would voluntarily meet with them.
Later, Mrs. Avila drove Alexis to the Hobbs Police Department where Alexis was given her Miranda warning. Alexis told authorities that she was unaware she was pregnant until January 6, 2022 when she sought medical attention because she was experiencing “abdominal pain and constipation”. On Friday, January 7 she experienced more stomach pain and “unexpectedly gave birth”. Alexis further told interviewers that she “panicked, not knowing what to do or who to call”.
Alexis cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the baby in a towel, placed the baby in a white trash bag that contained some garbage and finally put the white trash bag in a larger black trash bag. She, then, stated that she drove around and tossed the garbage bag containing her baby into a green dumpster. When asked by investigators what she thought would happen as a result of her actions, Alexis “did not answer”.
Alexis told authorities who she thinks is the father of the child. He is a minor, and his name will not be released, although HPD investigators hope to talk with him in the future. Alexis also confirmed that her relationship with the suspected father ended some time ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Avila denied having any knowledge of the fact that their daughter was pregnant.
Alexis Avila has been charged with Attempted First Degree Murder and alternatively Felony Abuse of a Child. On Saturday, January 8, Alexis was arrested with a warrant, processed into the Hobbs City Jail and a little over an hour later was released on an unsecured parents’ $10,000 bond.
A City of Hobbs Tuesday, January 11 press release (PDF) states that the arraignment of Alexis is “scheduled in Lea County District Court in Lovington, New Mexico on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 2:15 p.m. in Judge Shoobridge’s Courtroom.”
Acting Chief Fons reminded the public that both the HPD and the HFD are designated “safe haven” sites as defined in the Safe Havens for Infants Act. “A person may leave an infant with the staff of a safe haven site without being subjected to criminal prosecution for abandonment or abuse if the infant was born within 90 days of being left at the safe haven site….”, stated Acting Chief Fons. The Acting Chief also commented that the City of Hobbs, the HPD and the HFD are committed to ensuring the safety of infants.
Acting Chief Fons, additionally, commented that in all of his years working in law enforcement he has never seen a case like this one. Certainly, this incident raises many questions about public education regarding the facts about pregnancy, interaction with parents, alternatives for unwanted pregnancies, accessibility to abortions and the institution of a much needed help network for individuals in need.
The City of Hobbs press release states that anyone wishing to donate to the ”affected child may do so at the New Mexico Children Youth & Families Department’s (NMCYFD) office at 907 West Calle Sur, Hobbs, New Mexico.” Although monetary donations are not accepted, people may give “gift cards and new items such as toys, clothes, diapers, hygiene products….” Used items will not be accepted. The press release also says that “donations of new items for children of all ages in the care of the NMCYFD are accepted each and every day, and these children are always in dire need of such items.”
