Baby Kalynne Honored At Memorial Service

by Doug Wernet

LAS CRUCES — An evening memorial honored the memory of the 4-month-old baby who died after she was allegedly left alone inside a closet by her father.

Investigators said baby Kalynne died after her father, 23-year-old Robert Flores, put her in a laundry basket inside a closet while he left the house to buy beer earlier this month.

“We will be spending the holiday without the baby. She meant the world to me and all of my family … I don’t know how we are going to go on without her,” said the baby’s maternal grandmother, Gracie Cortez.

Kalynne was buried in Artesia, New Mexico last week but family members said tonight’s memorial was one more step in the grieving process.

Steve Cortez, the baby’s maternal grandfather, is still frustrated because he believes her father has not shown remorse for the tragic death. “He lived a sheltered life. His mother has been there and gotten him out of everything,” he said. “I would just like to have some closure and move on.”

Family members say Flores could be released from jail soon. They said his family has started the paperwork to post a $150,000 cash bond.