A woman who gave birth and threw her baby in the dumpster now faces criminal charges.
A newborn girl, her tiny body covered in blood and umbilical cord still attached, cried out from the depths of an Austin, Texas dumpster Saturday, her desperate wails alerting neighbors who pulled her to safety just hours after her own mother allegedly cast her away like refuse.
The infant, whom rescuers have dubbed the “Miracle Angel,” was discovered around 1:37 p.m. in the bottom right corner of a trash bin at The Palms Apartments in the 8600 block of North Lamar Boulevard. Paramedics rushed her to Dell Children’s Medical Center, where she was evaluated and found to be in good health, with no immediate issues despite the ordeal.
She remains under hospital care and in the custody of Child Protective Services.
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Austin police affidavits reveal a heartbreaking sequence of events earlier that morning. Neli Dinora Rivera-Felipe, a 22-year-old resident of the apartment complex, gave birth to the girl alone in her bathroom around 10 a.m. Rivera-Felipe then placed the newborn in a bucket, carried her outside while wearing a pink shirt, teal sweater, black pants and sandals, and dumped her in the bin, surveillance footage shows.
The mother later told investigators “she was scared and unsure about what she would do with the baby” and described the infant as “being lifeless and not moving.”
Roommates had grown suspicious in the preceding day. One noticed Rivera-Felipe’s “large belly” on September 19 and shared a video capturing moans and cries from the bathroom. She claimed it was from a car accident injury. By evening the next day, her stomach appeared “flat and no longer rounded,” another roommate reported.
The apartment manager, too, remarked that “it looked like she had a basketball under her shirt.”
Perry Lewis, a neighbor who helped retrieve the baby, described the moment her cries pierced the air.
“She saved herself. She saved herself, you know what I mean? She cried. She has a God-given voice. She cried up out of that dumpster. About 40, 50 feet away, man, my neighbor heard her,” Lewis said.
Lerrssy Frausto, another rescuer at the scene, noted the fresh signs of birth.
“She was definitely born today. You could tell—umbilical cord was still there,” Frausto observed.
A passerby first reported hearing noises from the dumpster, prompting the frantic rescue. Officers and Austin-Travis County EMS arrived shortly after 1:30 p.m., finding the baby alive but in dire need of care.
Rivera-Felipe was identified through security video and tips from complex management and community members. She was arrested Tuesday and booked into Travis County Jail on Sept. 23, facing a second-degree felony charge of abandoning or endangering a child. Her bond is set at $50,000, and court records prohibit contact with the victim.
When pressed on a motive, authorities noted her belief that the child was dead.
“The baby is doing better and remains in the hospital for evaluation,” Austin police said in a statement.
For pro-life advocates, the infant’s survival stands as a profound testament to the inherent will to live that every unborn child possesses — a fierce instinct that no act of abandonment can silence. Her cries from the trash heap echo the silent pleas of the vulnerable, underscoring the moral imperative to protect the innocent before and after brith, not just in theory but in every desperate moment.
Lewis, moved by the rescue, vowed ongoing support. “I just thank God we were here for her. She’s a beautiful baby, and she’s not unwanted. We’re definitely going to stay in contact and do whatever we can to be in her life.”
In Texas, the Safe Haven Law offers a lifeline for parents in crisis, allowing the anonymous surrender of unharmed newborns up to 60 days old at fire stations, EMS facilities, hospitals or emergency centers — with no prosecution for abandonment.
“Just to remind people, there’s an option out there, it’s called the Safe Haven Law, where you can drop off a newborn infant at any fire station, EMS station, or police station. No questions asked,” said APD Officer Aaron Townsend.
The investigation continues, with Austin Police Department’s Child Abuse Unit seeking additional tips at 512-974-6880 or through Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.
As the “Miracle Angel” fights to thrive, her story serves as a clarion call: Every life, no matter how perilously discarded, demands defense and dignity.
