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Martha Avila: Mom of Alexis Avila who threw baby in dumpster says 'everyone makes mistakes'

The baby boy was rescued from the dumpster by a group of good samaritans who happened to stumble across him

HOBBS, NEW MEXICO: The mother of a woman, accused of abandoning her baby boy in a dumpster, is reportedly defending her daughter's actions, saying, "Everybody makes mistakes." 

City police confirmed that 18-year-old Alexis Avila had been charged with attempted murder and child abuse after she allegedly wrapped her infant child in a blood-soaked towel and two garbage bags before abandoning him in 36-degree weather with his umbilical cord still attached.

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Fox News called the number listed for Alexis' mother Martha Avila on Tuesday, January 11, but the receiver reportedly said it was the wrong number. Nonetheless, the elder Avila defended her daughter while speaking to a Daily Mail reporter outside her residence in Hobbs. "People can preach all they want, they can judge all they want, but we only care about the judgment of one," she told the newspaper. Furthermore, she also doubled down on her daughter's claim to investigators that she didn't know she was pregnant. During interrogation, the young woman allegedly admitted to the crime and only referred to the child as "it," police said.

The baby boy was rescued from the dumpster by a group of good samaritans who happened to stumble across him. According to Hobbs Acting Police Chief August Fonshe, the child is currently in stable condition at a Lubbock, Texas hospital and in the "lawful custody" of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (NMCYFD). Fonshe said on Monday that he couldn't release additional details due to confidentiality concerns. According to Fox News, the child's father is believed to be a teenager who lives in Hobbs. Authorities did not release his identity because he's under 18. According to a criminal complaint, Martha Avila told police that she had banned her daughter's ex from visiting their home after he allegedly "battered" Alexis in June.

Joe Imbriale, a local store owner whose surveillance cameras captured the incident, reacted to Martha's comments. "Even if she doesn't want custody, she should be caring enough about her grandbaby to be saying, ‘No, he’s an abusive boyfriend, and I don't want him to have custody," Imbriale told Fox News. He also cast doubts on the Avilas' timeline of events, which included a January 4 doctor visit for prescription pain medication, per court filings. "If they did that, wouldn't they have done a pregnancy test on a girl that young?" he wondered. "There's a lot of holes in her story."

Surveillance footage captured by Imbriale shows a woman tossing a trash bag into a dumpster. Almost six hours later, a group of people finds a baby inside. "She's trying to defend her daughter, why doesn't she stop shouting her mouth off and take ownership of how she raised her daughter," Imbriale said about the suspect's mother. "Stop trying to protect her now. You screwed up, you raised a terrible daughter."