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A New Mexico woman gave birth in a portable toilet and “threw” her newborn daughter into the toilet’s water tank, where the baby drowned, police said.
Now, Sonia Cristal Jimenez38, faces one count of intentional child abuse resulting in deathThe Las Cruces Police Department said in a news release posted on Facebook on Wednesday, Feb. 11, that this was a first-offense felony.
An attorney for Jimenez was not listed in court records. us weekly Friday, February 13th. Records show she has yet to enter a plea.
Jimenez allegedly gave birth to the baby on February 7, and her boyfriend took her to a Las Cruces hospital around 10:30 p.m. that night, where staff learned she “appeared to have just given birth,” police said.
However, according to authorities, staff noticed “the baby was not with her” and called police.
Jimenez’s boyfriend told police that before they went to the hospital, he and Jimenez were at Burn Lake, where Jimenez used a portable restroom, according to police. Burn Lake is about 225 miles south of Albuquerque.
Acting on the tip, authorities discovered the body of Jimenez’s newborn baby in a toilet tank, police said.
Two people from Illinois, Nicole Pokrzywa and William Cosmen, were arrested after they were accused of trying to flush a baby down the toilet. When their mission failed, the pair ended up burying the baby’s body in a beer box. The Will County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a press release that Poquetswa (…)
Las Cruces firefighters “rescued the infant who showed no signs of life,” according to authorities.
The investigation revealed Jimenez may have cut the baby’s umbilical cord after birth and then placed her in the toilet, police said.
According to police, an autopsy conducted on Monday, February 9, confirmed that Jimenez’s baby was still alive when he was “thrown into” the liquid in the portable potty.
“An autopsy revealed that she had inhaled and swallowed a blue chemical liquid commonly used in portable toilet sanitation,” police said.
Police said the blue chemical liquid was located in the newborn’s “trachea, lungs and stomach,” indicating “she breathed and swallowed the liquid while alive.”
Investigators do not believe her boyfriend knew Jimenez gave birth to her daughter in the bathroom, police said.
Authorities do not expect to charge him in the baby’s death, according to police.
Jimenez was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 11, and booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center, police said. She is being held without bail.
In comments left under the Las Cruces Police Department’s Facebook post about Jimenez’s arrest, Facebook users ralph mongate “As everyone is praying for this child, please don’t forget to pray for the police officers and firefighters who have to deal with this tragedy themselves,” wrote.
UPDATE — February 13, 2026 12:10 p.m.: Police have arrested a New Mexico man on suspicion of killing his 11-month-old child and then partially burying the baby’s remains in a remote area. Us Weekly confirmed that 43-year-old John Hannon was arrested on charges of child abuse resulting in death and tampering with evidence, according to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. (…)
“Firefighters entered the chaotic area to retrieve the child’s body. Investigators attended the autopsy,” Mongate said. “These events and images will stay with them throughout their lives. However, they are asked to put them away and move on to the next call. When you hold this child, please remember them!!”
His comment, along with more than 1,000 other comments, received nearly 400 reactions.
Jimenez made his first court appearance on Thursday, Feb. 12, records show. Her next court date was not immediately listed.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, please call or text Children’s Helpline Phone: 1-800-422-4453.
