During DUI Stop, Mom Told Police She Was Headed to Get Her Baby — Then Police Found Infant in Back Seat: 'Did Not Know'

Authorities in Texas arrested a woman who was allegedly driving under the influence while a 5-month-old was in a car seat, unsecured, in her vehicle — but didn’t appear to realize the baby was there, police said.

Ivana Dolores Salazar, 27, was arrested at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 6, by officers conducting a traffic stop in El Paso, Texas, after they noticed a car failing to signal a lane change, El Paso County Sheriff Oscar Ugarte said in a statement. 

As officers spoke with Salazar, they noticed a clear glass container with an “unknown red liquid” in it, leading them to believe she was driving while intoxicated, per Ugarte’s statement. 

Salazar allegedly told police she was on her way to pick up her newborn after her work shift, and indicated she was alone in her vehicle. However, officers searching the car came across a five-month-old baby in a car seat that had not been secured appropriately, Ugarte’s statement said. 

When authorities questioned her a second time about the child, she allegedly reiterated her previous statement — that she had just gotten off work and was headed to pick up her newborn. 

Police then brought her to the backseat and showed her the child seated there, when she allegedly said she “did not know” the child was there, per Ugarte’s statement. She then stopped cooperating with police. 

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The child was transported to a hospital for evaluation and was put in the care of a “responsible party,” Ugarte said, adding that Child Protective Services had been notified about the issue. 

Salazar is being held at the El Paso County Jail on a charge of driving while intoxicated with a passenger under 15 years of age and endangering a child, per El Paso authorities. 

Her bond was set at $23,000; it wasn’t immediately clear if she has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on her behalf. 

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.