Around 8am at an apartment complex on Windmill Lakes Street, Carlos Mitchel, who does remodeling work at the apartments, was trying to throw trash into an overloaded dumpster. Normally, people at the complex say it is empty. Today it was full, which is why Mitchel came into contact with the plastic trash bag that contained the baby.
Mitchel, who is from Cuba, said initially he thought someone had tossed a kitten or a puppy into the dumpster. He also wondered if what was moving inside the bag might have been a rat.
Then he says he heard something. Again, he thought it might be a kitten. With a heart for animals, he opened the bag, and was astounded to see a newborn baby inside, umbilical cord still attached.
Mitchel's supervisor called 911. Paramedics arrived and administered oxygen to the infant. His color and breathing improved.
Houston police say they located the infant's mother later in the day, as she was getting medical treatment at an area hospital. They say the 16-year-old girl confessed to putting the baby in the dumpster just a few hours after he was born.
The baby boy is at Hermann Hospital and is said to be in good condition. A custody hearing will be held.
Police don't know what charges could be filed against the child's mother, but emphasize that abandonment is never an option. What's known as the Baby Moses law allows for a parent to leave a baby at a fire station or a hospital, without facing criminal sanctions.
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