Sanitation workers were going about their routine when they stopped to compact trash they had collected from the neighborhood. But what they found was anything but horrific: the lifeless body of a full-term baby boy, wrapped in a trash bag.
The child’s mother, 22-year-old Catherine Innes, has since been charged with tampering with evidence—a human corpse. Her bond was set at $50,000, and she appeared in court Monday night, almost one year after her crime.
Innes told investigators that she began experiencing intense stomach pain on August 11, 2024. Hoping to relieve it, she stepped into a cold shower—only to suddenly give birth to a baby boy.
She said he was making some noise, but she then passed out on the shower floor.
When she regained consciousness, she said she noticed her son wasn’t breathing.
Story continues below.
Don’t miss important Pro-Life stories like this.
>> Get the Pro-Life Weekly Highlight just once a week:
Panicking, Innes admitted that she placed the baby’s body in a trash bag, along with her nightgown and some bloody towels, and cleaned up the evidence. The trash bag sat in her garbage can for three days before being picked up.
After dumping a trash can into the truck, one worker went to repack the trash to make space. This is when he discovered the newborn at the bottom of the garbage pile. Immediately, the frazzled man had to walk away from the truck as his coworker called the police. The chilling event was caught by a neighbor’s security camera.
Innes also told officials that she lived with her boyfriend and their other young son. She said they both wanted more children eventually—but that now didn’t feel like the right time.
Neighbors who witnessed the horrific discovery expressed both sorrow and disbelief.
“It wasn’t the only option,” said Germany Scott. “No matter if your parents are mad at you or if the father doesn’t want the child, you know what I’m saying?”
“They could have taken him to the fire station or called for help. Adoption is an option, you know. That wasn’t the right answer.”
Germany is right. There was another way.
In Texas, the Baby Moses Law allows a parent to legally and anonymously surrender their newborn—up to 60 days old—at any fire station, hospital, or police station staffed 24/7. No questions asked. No legal consequences. Just compassion and safety.
This law exists because of tragedies like this. No baby should be discarded. And no parent should feel so desperate they think that’s their only choice.
Let’s lift up everyone affected by this heartbreaking situation. Pray for the baby’s mother—that she would find Christ and repentance. And pray for increased awareness of Texas’ Baby Moses Law, so that no other child ends up in this unthinkable tragedy.
Thank you for reading this story! If you support our Pro-Life ministry, chip in with a life-saving contribution today!
