Fort Worth woman charged with murder after newborn found in dumpster

A 23-year-old woman, Avia Cantrell, has been charged with capital murder following the death of her newborn daughter in Fort Worth, Texas. The infant's body was discovered on October 18 inside a suitcase near a dumpster at the Drummers Inn on Camp Bowie West Boulevard by a person searching for items.

According to police documents, Cantrell admitted to giving birth to a full-term baby girl in a motel bathtub and leaving the infant face-down in the water for approximately 30 minutes. The couple reportedly kept the deceased infant in a bag near a toilet for four days before the body was disposed of.

Cantrell's partner, 26-year-old Camron Baker, has been charged with abuse of a corpse. Investigators stated that Baker placed the infant in a floral-patterned suitcase and discarded it in the dumpster. Baker reportedly told police they did not seek medical assistance because they did not want to ‘catch a case.’