Teen Allegedly Gave Birth in Walmart and Put Baby in Trash — Now Her Father Is Under Arrest By Christine Pelisek 40

Police in Texas are investigating the death of a newborn baby that was found in a Walmart trash can on Monday, July 14.

An employee called 911 after a maintenance worker discovered the infant in the trash can just after 10 p.m., KRIS6 reported.

Officers responded to the store on East General Cavazos Boulevard in Kingsville and found “employees attempting lifesaving efforts on the child,” per a Kingsville Police Department press release.

The newborn was rushed to the hospital, where doctors pronounced the infant dead.

Officers checked surveillance and saw a teen entering the store, spending around 40 minutes in the restroom before exiting the store and getting into a vehicle.

Deputies with the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office pulled over the vehicle in the parking lot. The 17-year-old girl was taken to the hospital and her father, 45-year-old Jerry Lee Martinez, was arrested and charged with abandoning or endangering a child with criminal negligence, police said.

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Martinez is additionally facing charges of tampering with a witness and tampering with physical evidence.

The teen is currently in the hospital, police said, adding that they plan to interview her once she has been released.

“The avenue taken last night wasn’t the correct one, wasn’t a safe one for the mother or the child,” Celinda Tatum, Kingsville Police Department accident investigator, told KRIS6. “We do advise that anytime an incident does occur at any moment, contact police or emergency personnel so that the baby and the mother can get seen medically.”

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Kingsville Police Department at 361-593-8849.