Karla Ibarra spoke out after being arrested for abandoning her infant son.
The 18-year-old Texas mother was charged with abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return after police said she handed her 1-month-old boy to a stranger at a San Antonio bus stop last Sunday, then fled in an Uber. Her bail was set at $7,000, according to Bexar County Court records.
Jennifer Benavides, the woman who encountered Ibarra, told KSAT 12 that the teen first approached her at the downtown bus stop to borrow her phone. Benavides was complimenting how cute the baby was when Ibarra’s demeanor suddenly shifted.
“She’s like, ‘Well, do you want him? I’m going to give him away. I’m going to give him to somebody,’ ” Benavides recalled.
Benavides described the moment Ibarra began pressing official documents into her hands. “She begins handing me his birth certificate, his Medicaid, his Social Security card,” she said.
Stunned by the encounter, Benavides brought Ibarra and the infant to a nearby friend’s home, hoping someone there could help the young mother. Instead, Ibarra left the house in an Uber without her son, according to police.
Benavides and her friend fed the baby and changed his diaper before contacting San Antonio police for assistance. Officers took the child into protective care and later placed him with relatives.
Ibarra was arrested when she returned to the area later that day. The San Antonio Police Department said the teen was allegedly determined to leave the boy with a stranger because she no longer wanted him.
Benavides expressed dismay that Ibarra had not used available alternatives. “It’s upsetting to know that even with all the resources that we have out there that someone would do this,” she said, adding that she was thankful she had been able to help before the child was taken by someone dangerous.
Texas maintains a Safe Haven Law, also known as the Baby Moses Law, which permits parents to anonymously surrender newborns at designated safe locations without facing legal consequences. Fire stations, hospitals, and emergency medical services stations serve as approved drop-off points under the statute.
The incident unfolded in broad daylight at a public transit stop in downtown San Antonio, where Ibarra had been sitting with her son before approaching Benavides. The entire exchange, from the initial request to borrow a phone through Ibarra’s departure in a rideshare vehicle, spanned a matter of minutes according to the account Benavides provided to local media.
Police have not disclosed whether Ibarra has retained legal representation or when she is scheduled to appear in court.
