Mom sentenced to 16 years for leaving newborn son in Hobbs, New Mexico dumpster

HOBBS, New Mexico (KVIA) -- In a New Mexico court room Monday, Alexis Avila was sentenced to 16 years in prison. She had been convicted of first-degree attempted murder last month.

Avila is accused of leaving her newborn baby in a dumpster in Hobbs, New Mexico in January of 2022. Law enforcement officials told ABC-7 that four people looking through the dumpster heard the baby crying and found it inside a trash bag, wrapped in a dirty towel.

The baby was taken to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas in stable condition. He was given over to the care of the New Mexico Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

When Avila plead not-guilty before her trial, she told officials that she did not know she was pregnant until the day before she gave birth. She allegedly told investigators that she panicked when the baby was born.

Investigators tracked Avila down by looking through surveillance video from the mall where the dumpster was located. They identified the car that Avila was driving.