El Paso Teen Charged With Murder Of Her Newborn

A 17 year old has been charged with killing her newborn child. El Paso Police say Erica Gomez gave birth to her baby girl in her home, wrapped the baby in a bathrobe and put in her inside a storage shed on the property.

When police were dispatched to the home in reference to a welfare check of an infant child, they discovered the baby's body. A further investigation revealed that the infant had a stab wound and lacerations to her neck and body. Gomez was arrested Friday for capital murder and is being held on a $800,000 bond.

This is a terribly sad story all the way around. A child is dead and a young girl is in jail for what could most likely be the rest of her life. There is a law in Texas that could have prevented this tragedy. It is called the Safe Haven Law and it was passed because of situations like this one.

The law states "You can leave your baby, up to 60 days old, with an employee on duty at any hospital, emergency medical services provider or child welfare agency in Texas."

How does the law work? From the Safe Haven website:

"A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. They must simply bring the infant to a safe haven location and make sure they locate a person to give the child. As long as the child shows no signs of intentional abuse, no name or other information is required. The specific locations and maximum age of the child varies from state to state. You can find the details of for your location by using our Safehaven Finder. It's safe. It's anonymous. You do not need to tell anyone."

Please, if you or someone you know is not able to care for a newborn, please use this law as a way to prevent a tragedy from happening. No child needs to die because a parent cannot or will not care for it. The Safe Haven law can help you out of a situation you don't want to be in.

Babies are a lifelong commitment. If you do not want that commitment, please use the Safe Haven law as a way out for you and a way toward a good life for your child.

I'm devastated that Erica Gomez thought that the only way out for her was to kill her precious baby. Perhaps if we get the word out about the Safe Haven Law, no more babies will have to die.