LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A Las Cruces woman was arrested the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 11, on suspicion of giving birth to a baby girl in a portable toilet and disposing the child in the holding tank at Burn Lake.
The suspect, Sonia Cristal Jimenez, 38, was charged with one felony count of intentional child abuse resulting in death. The charge is a first-degree felony. Jimenez was booked in the Doña Ana County Detention Center where she is being held without bond.
Around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, staff at the Memorial Medical Center notified police that Jimenez arrived at the hospital and appeared to have given birth, but was without the child. Police were informed by Jimenez’s boyfriend regarding their previous whereabouts at Burn Lake. Jimenez’s boyfriend also informed police that she used a portable toilet while at Burn Lake.
Police responded to Burn Lake and were able to locate the child in a holding tank of a portable toilet. The baby was found deceased. Las Cruces Fire Department recovered the child from the holding tank.
Investigators believe Jimenez gave birth to a live baby, cut the umbilical cord and placed the child in the holding tank where the child drowned. Investigators also believed that Jimenez’s boyfriend was unaware that she gave birth and no charges are anticipated to be brought against him.
In December 2025, the Doña Ana County Fire Rescue introduced the first Safe Haven Baby Box at Station 42 in Anthony, N.M., the 13th installment of a Safe Haven Baby Box in New Mexico. A Safe Haven Baby Box provides a safe, anonymous, and legal option for parents to surrender newborns less than 30 days old.
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