A Fort Worth woman is charged with capital murder. Her boyfriend is charged, too. Police say a newborn girl was found dead in a dumpster at a motel in west Fort Worth.
Avia Cantrell, 23, is charged with capital murder of a person under 10 years old. That is one of the most serious charges in Texas. Camron Baker, 26, is charged with abuse of a corpse. That charge is about how a body is treated after death.
Fort Worth police say officers were called to the motel at about 8:40 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18. A woman had been looking through the dumpster. She found a bag with a baby inside. The baby went to a hospital. She was pronounced dead there.
The next day, a relative of Cantrell asked police to check on her. The relative said Cantrell was pregnant and due soon. Officers talked with Cantrell. An arrest affidavit says she first said she was not pregnant.
Then she told detectives what happened, it says. She said she gave birth to a baby girl at about 7 a.m. on Oct. 14. It was in a motel bathtub filled with water. It says she told detectives she left the baby face down in the water for about 30 minutes.
Cantrell then called Baker at work, it says. The baby's body stayed in a bag in the room for about four days.
Baker has his own arrest document. In it, he told detectives they did not call for help. He said they did not want to "catch a case." He said Cantrell asked him on Sunday to get rid of the body. He said she could not do it. He told detectives he put the body in the dumpster.
These are police claims from the arrest documents. Neither person has been convicted.
The Tarrant County medical examiner has not said how the baby died.
Online jail records now show a $2 million bond for Cantrell. They show a $250,000 bond for Baker. Earlier this week, no bond amounts had been released.
The state child welfare agency says it is looking into the case. It says Cantrell's other children are with a relative.
Fort Worth police spokesperson Cynthia Wood said the case is very sad because a baby is involved.
Police also point to the Texas Baby Moses Law. A parent can safely give up a baby at a hospital or fire station. The baby must be unharmed and 60 days old or younger. Wood said, "They do have a place for them to surrender them without any questions."
The investigation is still going. Officials have not released court dates.
Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.