Woman Arrested After Infant Is Left In Dumpster In Hurst

HURST, TX — One woman was arrested Sunday for allegedly abandoning her newborn infant in a dumpster in Hurst in June on a warrant.

Alyssa Hazel Baker, 28, was arrested without incident in the 1600 block of Hurst Town Center Drive around 7 p.m. Sunday, police said. She faces a charge of Attempted Capital Murder and is being held in Tarrant County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Police first responded to the Souper Salad restaurant where Baker worked in the 900 block of Melbourne Road in Hurst after her coworker called 9-1-1. A probable cause affidavit for Baker's arrest warrant states the witness reported that Baker had undergone a miscarriage in the bathroom.

According to the affidavit, the witness saw Baker carry a trash bag that looked heavy out to the dumpster. She also reported that Baker's hands were bloody and that she seemed "dizzy and light headed."

The 9-1-1 dispatcher then spoke to Baker on the phone, who told her, "I'm pretty sure I had a miscarriage," the document states.

When responders arrived around 9:40, an officer found the living baby boy in a dumpster behind the building. The officer called for medics, who found the infant in a trash bag and transported him to Cook Children' Hospital in Fort Worth.

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The baby was examined by an ER doctor and taken to NICU, where doctors found that it weighed four pounds and had no major complications. Investigators later determined the baby had been in the dumpster for 47 minutes.

The document states the baby was originally named "Baby Boy," then "Baby Ware" and eventually Creighton Baker.

The witness, meanwhile, was interviewed by police. She told detectives she had picked Baker up from a nearby Starbucks that morning and drove her to work. On the way, Baker complained of stomach pain.

When the pair arrived at work, Baker went into the bathroom. Around 20 minutes later, when the witness went to check on Baker, she was asked to bring her a pair of scissors, the affidavit states.

The witness told police she later saw Baker leave the bathroom with a black plastic trash bag, the scissors and blood on her hands, according to the affidavit.

After police arrived, an officer spoke to Baker while she was in an ambulance. According to the affidavit, the officer asked Baker what was in the bag.

"Alyssa was hesitant to answer the question, but eventually stated that she had a miscarriage," the affidavit states.

When the officer asked her if there was a fetus or baby in the dumpster, Baker responded "Yeah I probably shouldn't have done that," the document states.

Another officer later interviewed Baker while she was in the hospital. When asked to recount the incident in the bathroom, she told police the baby cried for a minute or two, then became still and stopped breathing, according to the document.

When pressed, Baker admitted she could not say if the baby was alive or not.

When the officer asked her if the baby could have been alive when it was placed in the dumpster, she replied "yes."

The document states that Baker told officers and investigators that she did not know she was pregnant and that she had no symptoms of pregnancy.

An investigator obtained a warrant and searched Baker's phone. According to the report, searches were found including "Early Abortion Options — Our Bodies Ourselves," "What happens to the baby if a pregnant mother does not eat properly," "Top 23 natural home remedies for abortion to end a pregnancy" and "18 Natural abortion methods for early termination of pregnancy," along with several others.

Among the other searches were "miscarriage" and "taking abortion pills." The investigator also noted a June 15 search for "Baby found alive in dumpster near Hurst strip mall-story" and "how many newborns are discarded in the US."

The affidavit ends, "That before the making of this affidavit, on or about the 15th day of June, 2018, Alyssa Baker did and there intentionally or knowingly attempt to cause the death of an individual, Creighton Baker, by placing him in a bag, tying it shut and leaving him in a dumpster, and said Creighton Baker was then and there an individual under six years of age."

Image via Hurst Police Department