Father of 17-year-old girl arrested after her newborn is found dead inside Walmart trash can
Surveillance footage reviewed by police showed the teenager entering the store and staying in the restroom for about 40 minutes
The father of a 17-year-old girl was arrested Monday after an infant was found in a restroom trash can at a Walmart.
Jerry Lee Martinez, 45, was arrested and charged with abandoning/endangering a child with criminal negligence after his daughter allegedly left a newborn in the restroom at the Walmart in in Kingsville, Texas, shortly before 10:30 p.m.
Employees found the newborn girl and called 911. They tried to give her CPR before emergency crews arrived, but the infant was pronounced dead at Christus Spohn Hospital–Kleberg.
Surveillance footage, reviewed by police, showed the teenager entering the store and staying in the restroom for about 40 minutes. The baby was found 30 minutes after she left.
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A Kleberg County Sheriff’s Deputy found the teen in her car in the store’s parking lot later that night, and she was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Martinez was arrested at the scene and is being held at the Kleberg County Jail.
The teenager remained hospitalized Tuesday, KRIS 6 News reported. Police plan to interview her upon her release.
The Independent has contacted the Kingsville Police Department for comment.