A Texas woman has been charged with capital murder after her newborn baby girl was found dead in a dumpster outside a motel in Fort Worth. Avia Cantrell, 23, is accused of capital murder of a person under the age of 10, according to Fort Worth Police.
Discovery and Investigation
The baby was discovered inside a bag by a homeless woman outside the Drummers Inn, a budget motel in Fort Worth. Police were called to the scene at around 8.30pm, and officers determined that the little girl had been dead for several days.
Investigators initially struggled to find out who had left the baby there because a security camera covering the dumpster was not working. However, the following day, police received a request to carry out a welfare check on Cantrell.
Welfare Check and Arrest
Cantrell's sister told officers that Cantrell was pregnant and due to give birth around that time, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She also reportedly told police that her sister had a history of undisclosed pregnancies and childbirth and was concerned the baby found outside the motel could be hers.
Officers then went to Room 205 at the motel, where Cantrell had been staying with her boyfriend, Camron Baker, and three children. Police said Cantrell later told detectives that she had given birth to the baby in the bathtub.
Details of the Incident
According to investigators, the infant was full-term and otherwise healthy. Cantrell allegedly told detectives that she left the newborn face down in the water for around 30 minutes after giving birth.
She is also accused of calling Baker while he was at work to tell him about the birth. The baby had died by the time he returned, according to the account given to investigators.
The couple allegedly kept the infant in a bag near the bathroom toilet for four days while deciding what to do, according to an affidavit. In a police interview, Baker allegedly said they had not called for medical help because they did not want to “catch a case”, according to the charging document.
Police said he told investigators that he later put the baby in a brown bag decorated with flowers before placing it in the dumpster.
Reaction and Legal Status
One motel guest told Dallas-based ABC affiliate WFAA: “Don't put it in a trash can. Babies don't go in trash cans at all. You could have given the baby to me. I would have taken the baby and did something like taken it to the hospital or something.”
Following her arrest, Cantrell was taken to Tarrant County Jail and was being held without bond. Baker is also accused of abuse of a corpse in connection with the case.
