An 18-year-old mother in Texas is facing charges after allegedly handing her 1-month-old baby to a stranger at a San Antonio bus stop and leaving without him.
Karla Ibarra approached Jennifer Benavides at a downtown bus stop around 10:45 p.m. on Sept. 19. Ibarra initially asked to use Benavides’ phone, but the encounter quickly took an unexpected turn when she allegedly handed the woman her infant son.
Benavides told KSAT that Ibarra said she wanted to give the baby away. She also reportedly handed over the baby’s birth certificate, Medicaid card and Social Security card.
Benavides tried to get help from a friend who lived nearby after realizing Ibarra was serious about leaving the child. The two women went to the friend’s home, but Ibarra eventually left in an Uber without her son.
Police later arrested Ibarra after she returned to the area. The baby was placed in the care of other relatives, according to Child Protective Services.
Ibarra has since been charged with abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return. A judge set her bail at $7,000.
Texas has a Safe Haven Law that allows parents to legally leave an unharmed newborn, 60 days old or younger, at designated safe locations such as hospitals, fire stations and EMS stations. However, the law requires the baby to be handed to an employee or placed in a designated Safe Baby box.
The case remains under investigation.