New Mexico Woman Accused of Drowning Newborn

A woman from New Mexico is facing serious charges after allegedly giving birth in a portable toilet and subsequently drowning her baby in the holding tank.

Sonia Crystal Jimenez, 38, arrived at Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces around 10:30 p.m. on February 7. Medical staff noted that she seemed to have just delivered a child, but there was no baby present, according to a statement from the Las Cruces Police Department. This unusual situation led hospital staff to alert the authorities.

According to Jimenez’s boyfriend, he was near Burn Lake, about nine miles away, while she was in the portable toilet.

Upon investigating the case, police discovered the deceased infant in the water tank of the toilet. It is believed that Jimenez severed the umbilical cord after childbirth and left the baby in the tank, where the baby tragically drowned.

Authorities later found that an autopsy revealed the infant had inhaled or swallowed chemical sanitizing fluids used in portable toilets. The blue liquid was located in the baby’s trachea, lungs, and stomach, suggesting the child was alive when it ingested the substance.

On Wednesday, Jimenez was arrested and charged with intentional child abuse resulting in death, which is classified as a first-degree felony. She was taken to the Doña Ana County Jail and is currently being held without bail.

Interestingly, police clarified they would not be pursuing charges against Jimenez’s boyfriend, as it seems he was unaware that she had given birth.

Las Cruces Police Chief Jeremy Storey described the case as one of the most heartbreaking and disturbing he has encountered in his professional life.