Newborn baby found dead in trashcan at Artesia hospital. Mother charged with murder

An Artesia woman was arrested and charged with first-degree murder Wednesday after Artesia General Hospital staff found her newborn son dead in a bathroom trashcan.

Alexee Trevizo, 19, was charged with one count each of first-degree murder, child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence.

She was scheduled to make her first appearance on the charges Thursday in Artesia Magistrate Court before Judge Jimmy Foster.

More:Trial delayed for Alexis Murray, mother of Brent Sullivan who died of fentanyl overdose

Police were called to Artesia General Hospital Jan. 27 after hospital staff reported the deceased infant was found in a restroom trashcan, according to the criminal complaint against Trevizo.

Police said Trevizo gave birth in the restroom and placed the newborn in the trash where he suffocated, the complaint read.

When police arrived at the hospital, Trevizo was being flown to Lovelace Medical Center in Roswell for treatment, and was arrested months later, police said, after an investigation.

More:Carlsbad police struggled to solve Donna Hyatt's murder for decades. DNA brought answers

Trevizo initially went to the hospital in Artesia complaining of lower back pains, and denied being pregnant to hospital staff, police said.

She went to the bathroom and stayed in the room for “an extended amount of time,” read the complaint, with hospital staff eventually getting keys and opening the door.

Records show Trevizo entered the bathroom at 1:39 a.m., exiting at 1:57 a.m. and the infant was found at 2:26 a.m. He was pronounced dead minutes later.

More:CMS and City of Carlsbad work to increase police presence at local schools

Staff reported the bathroom was “covered in blood,” read the complaint, and medical personnel started treating Trevizo initially concerned she had problems related to the pregnancy or was harming herself.

Nursing staff checked the toilet and trashcan, initially finding nothing on the top of the trash, read the complaint. Cleaning staff were called in to clean the blood in the bathroom and found the infant in a bag in the trashcan beneath the top layer of trash.

More:Fatal shooting of 15-year-old boy in Carlsbad followed fight at apartment, police say

Medical staff found the baby cold and blue, the release read, with no signs of life.

Police said Trevizo told a doctor the baby wasn’t breathing or crying when she gave birth, and she “didn’t know what to do with it.”

During conversations with doctors, police said Trevizo referred to the baby as “nothing,” and admitted to putting him in the bag.

More:Artesia police sued for 'excessive force' in arrests of man who says he was jailed illegally

An autopsy showed the baby did not suffer from any deformities or injuries upon birth, and air was noticed in the lungs and stomach, indicating he was likely born alive after being carried for 38 weeks. The autopsy found the baby might have been suffocated.

“The air in the lungs and stomach and no evidence of decomposition, is consistent with the baby having been born alive. Based on length, weight and organ size, he was approximately 38 weeks gestation age, which is term and compatible with life outside the uterus,” read the complaint.

The autopsy report listed the cause of death as entrapment – meaning lack of oxygen in an enclosed space, read the complaint, and the manner of death was homicide.

“The Criminal Investigation Division of the Artesia Police Department quickly responded to the hospital and launched a death investigation regarding the unattended death of a newborn baby,” read a statement from the Artesia Police Department.

“Any further details will be released at the appropriate time.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.