Austin police arrested Neli Dinora Rivera-Felipe after finding a baby abandoned in a dumpster, identifying the suspect as the mother using security footage.
AUSTIN, Texas — A woman facing charges after a baby girl was found abandoned in a dumpster at a North Austin apartment complex on Sept. 20 allegedly admitted to giving birth to the baby inside her apartment bathroom, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by KVUE.
The affidavit reveals 22-year-old Neli Dinora Rivera-Felipe allegedly told detectives she was scared and not sure what to do with the newborn after she gave birth.
Police said they were able to identify Rivera-Felipe using security footage and with the help of community members.
The affidavit reveals “Neli said she was scared and unsure about what she would do with the baby. Neli described the baby as being lifeless and not moving.” Rivera-Felipe then allegedly admitted to detectives she put the baby into a bucket and then put the baby girl into the dumpster.
One witness told police he was walking outside when another person reported hearing a noise coming from a dumpster. According to the affidavit, one of the witnesses climbed into the dumpster, moved trash around, and found a newborn baby in the bottom right corner.
Police said witnesses helped remove the baby from the dumpster. The baby girl was taken to Dell Children’s Medical Center and is recovering and doing well, according to authorities.
Police spoke with apartment complex management, who said they recognized the person seen in security footage and identified which unit she lived in.
The apartment manager told police it “looked like she had a basketball under her shirt.”
Detectives later interviewed the alleged roommates of Rivera-Felipe. One roommate told investigators they noticed she had a “large belly on Sept. 19,” but she reportedly said it was due to an injury from a car accident.
According to the affidavit, the roommate shared a video recorded on Sept. 19 in which a woman can be heard moaning and crying in the background.
Another roommate told police that by the evening of Sept. 20, Rivera-Felipe’s stomach appeared “flat and no longer rounded.”
Rivera-Felipe later allegedly confirmed to police that she was the person seen in the surveillance footage wearing a pink shirt, teal sweater, black sandals and black pants. She said she took out the trash around 10 a.m. on Sept. 20.
When asked if Rivera-Felipe had provided a reason for allegedly abandoning the baby, APD said that in a statement, Rivera-Felipe said she believed the child was dead.
Rivera-Felipe now faces a second-degree felony charge of Abandoning or Endangering a Child. She was booked into the Travis County Jail on Sept. 23, where she remains on a bond of $50,000 as of Thursday afternoon. Court records show she is not allowed to have contact with the victim.
The arrest affidavit reveals police responded initially to The Palms Apartments located at 8600 N. Lamar Blvd. on Sept. 20, stating that one witness said they were taking out their trash and heard crying from inside of the apartment complex dumpster.
Safe Haven Law
Texas’ Safe Haven Law, commonly known as the Baby Moses Law, was signed into law in 1999. It lets people with a newborn that they’re unable to care for bring the baby to a designated safe place with no questions asked. The baby must be 60 days old or younger and unharmed.
Hospitals, fire stations EMS stations and free-standing emergency centers are all designated safe spaces.
Anyone who leaves an unharmed infant at a Safe Haven location will not be prosecuted for abandonment or neglect.