A Texas mother, 22-year-old Catherine Nicole Innes, is accused of dumping her newborn son in the trash. The baby boy’s decomposing body was found three days later in a compactor.
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According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law & Crime, the incident occurred on August 14, 2024. A Harris County Sheriff’s Office detective responded to a dead-on-arrival scene on Fountain Crest Court, Houston.
Upon arrival, the detective found a newborn baby’s body inside a garbage truck. As per the affidavit, the garbage truck crew was compacting trash when they discovered the body inside. Then, they stopped the compactor and contacted their supervisor, who then called 911.
Emergency Medical Services responders pronounced the boy dead at 9:38 a.m.
At the time, an investigation with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences was conducting a preliminary examination. It was discovered that the baby’s body showed signs of early stages of decomposition.
His skill was crushed and separated from the body, probably caused by the garbage truck’s compactor. Additionally, the newborn’s umbilical cord was detached from his body.
Alleged Confession
While investigating the incident, the detective was approached by a woman who claimed to be the boy’s mother, as per the affidavit. The mother was identified as Catherine Nicole Innes, and allegedly admitted to placing the boy in the trash.
Innes allegedly told the detective that at around midnight on August 11, 2024, she began experiencing stomach pains. After entering the bathroom to have a shower, she gave birth to her newborn son.
As per the affidavit, Innes said that the boy began to make some noise, and she passed out onto the shower floor. After regaining consciousness, the newborn baby was no longer breathing, according to Innes.
Frightened, Innes allegedly placed her newborn son in a trash bag alongside her gown and towels used to clean blood from the shower. She then placed the trash bag in a garbage been outside her residence, as per the document. Three days later, the garbage was collected.
Innes allegedly added that she and her boyfriend, with whom they shared a 3-year-old son, wanted to have more children. However, as per the document, Innes didn’t feel it was “the right time” to have another child.
An autopsy was conducted by an assistant medical examiner on August 15, 2024. The newborn boy, identified in the document as Jesus Martinez, had no observable deformities or medical issues. While Jesus’ manner and cause of death were undetermined, the medical examiner said that the child could have died by drowning or suffocation.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced on Monday, July 21, that Catherine Nicole Innes was arrested. She was charged with tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse.