A New Mexico teenager accused of killing her newborn baby by throwing it in a hospital trash bag minutes after birth claims she didn’t know she was pregnant.
Alexee Trevizo, 19, is charged with murder after she gave birth in a hospital bathroom, then placed the baby in a trash bag, where he was tragically found dead.
Her lawyer, Gary C Mitchell, told DailyMail.com the teenager was unaware of the pregnancy when she went to Artesia General Hospital on January 27 with back pain.
Tests revealed that she was pregnant and in labor. She then locked herself in a hospital toilet for a long time. After he returned, a cleaning lady found the bathroom covered in blood and then called the nurses after lifting the heavy bin bag.
She was charged May 10 with first-degree murder, “or alternatively” intentional child abuse resulting in death, plus one count of tampering with evidence.
Alexee Trevizo, 19, didn’t know she was pregnant until she gave birth to her son
The heartbreaking moment police confronted Trevizo in hospital was captured in body camera footage which showed her telling officers: ‘It came out of me, I put it in the bag. In the garbage bag. I’m sorry, mum.’
Mitchell said the child died of asphyxiation.
He claims that Trevizo had gone to the hospital bathroom alone without knowing that she was pregnant.
She remained there unattended for 18 minutes, giving birth and then placing the baby in the trash.
Artesia General Hospital declined to comment, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a federal law that protects sensitive patient health information from disclosure without the patient’s consent or knowledge.
Police body camera footage shows Trevizo admitting to placing the baby in the bag.
‘It came out of me, I put it in the bag. In the garbage bag. I’m sorry mum, the teenager said to her mother.
Mitchell continued, “This child did not cause this baby to die. She didn’t know she was pregnant.
‘It came out of me, I put it in the bag. In the garbage bag. Im sorry mom whispers traumatized teen
Trevizo’s mother appears to have had no idea her daughter was nine months pregnant
Newly released body camera footage shows heartbreaking confession
“It was a very traumatic experience,” the attorney said.
Mitchell also revealed that the baby’s father was “very supportive” of Trevizo and was also unaware of the pregnancy, which he says is not unusual.
In the body camera footage, a doctor in a white coat explains to Trevizo and his mother, “We found a dead baby in the bathroom.”
Trevizo tells the doctor, “I’m sorry, it just slipped out of me and I didn’t know what to do…I was just scared, it wasn’t crying or anything.”
Her distraught mother holds her head in her hands as she begs her daughter saying, “What have you done?”
“What did you do to him?” asks the mother, holding her head in her hands, desperate, before the doctor tells her “stop there”.
“Guys number one priority,” the doctor continues, “is that she just had a baby, I don’t know if she expelled the placenta.” She bleeds a lot’ she said, before explaining that the teenager must be moved to the obstetrician.
“I’m sorry about that, but regarding the delivery of a baby and it looks like you tried to cover it up, we need to get the police involved.”
“The baby is going to have to be taken for an autopsy and there will be an investigator and everything” continues the doctor in a calm voice.
Artesia General Hospital
Gary C Mitchell told DailyMail.com that Trevizo was not responsible for his baby’s death
“I’m so sorry, but we have to do it right and I want to be transparent with you about what our steps are going to be.”
“Nothing was screaming, it came out with nothing,” repeats Trevizo.
A male doctor in the room then asks the mother and daughter if they have any questions, to which Trevizo’s mother asks how big the baby is.
“It’s over time,” replies the masked doctor.
‘What!’ she exclaims, suggesting she didn’t know her daughter was nine months pregnant before the birth.
‘Lexi, have you watched the news about what girls do to their babies and they go to jail’ asks the frustrated mother.
A traumatized Trevizo bursts into tears and is then told that there are detectives on the way to speak to her and that she is now being held in hospital under police custody.
In a statement shared with DailyMail.com, the Artesia Police Department said: “Our officers and crime scene processor, along with hospital staff, experienced a heartbreaking situation this January morning and have face what they encountered.”
“One of the worst calls a first responder or public servant has to answer is the serious injury or death of a child.
“We are expected to be ‘tough’ on these types of incidents because of our job titles, but in reality, we are quite the opposite.”
“Our routine service calls or emergency responses are usually done easily with commitment and dedication to our city, but a call like this can be a breaking point for some or everyone involved.
“It is important that we provide the best stress management resources, guidance and tools to help our staff deal with this traumatic event, so that they can continue their dedicated service.
Adding: ‘Regarding Trevizo, she declined to speak to our investigators about the incident.
At the start of the body camera footage released, a nurse told responding officers that Trevizo had a positive pregnancy test but denied having had sex.
Trevizo locked herself in a hospital toilet on January 27 and gave birth to the baby boy before throwing him in the trash, investigators said.
By the time the baby was found, he was dead, investigators said.
An autopsy said the cause of death was homicide in March.
On May 10, Trevizo was charged with first-degree murder, “or alternatively” intentional child abuse resulting in death, as well as one count of tampering with evidence.
Trevizo has since been released from prison and will be able to complete the school year without an ankle monitor or house arrest, pending trial.
This is the second high-profile case of a mother and newborn in New Mexico in recent years.
Jurors convicted 19-year-old Alexis Avila of throwing her newborn baby into an outdoor trash can in January 2020 in Hobbs, New Mexico.