Officials Release New Evidence After Mother Allegedly Leaves Baby Under A Plant Pot

Officials have released new evidence a month after a Homestead woman gave birth to a premature baby and then allegedly left her alone outside under a plant pot.

Martha Estella Godinez-Diaz, 20, was arrested June 11 on charges including child abuse and child neglect, according to an arrest report.

The report said Godinez-Diaz gave birth to the child on June 6 at a home in the 1700 block of Northeast 1st Terrace. She was outside the home and alone when she gave birth to the girl, who was premature and born at between 31 to 33 weeks old, the report said.

This week investigators released new evidence in connection with the case, including photos of the crime scene and audio interviews.

A witness observed a potting plant bucket covering the baby's head and a blue shirt covering her upper torso. When fire rescue arrived, they located the newborn and found her alive. First responders transported the mother and child in the same rescue truck. An interview reveals Godinez-Diaz was not cooperative.

"Once she saw we had the baby in the truck, she became very combative and tried to push us away," said Captain D. Demarco of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in an audio interview.

Demarco also said the baby's placenta was still attached.

"At that time, I started to cut the cord and actively warm the baby," she said.

About a week after the discovery, a judge gave custody of the baby to the paternal grandfather.

Mynor Perez-Garcia said in court and in multiple interviews that he is the child's father, but Godinez-Diaz would not tell investigators who the father is.

When asked if she wanted to keep her baby, Godinez-Diaz said no. She said she was open to giving her up for adoption.

Godinez-Diaz's boyfriend said she had never received prenatal care, and she had contacted him saying she was suffering from stomach pain. When the boyfriend and his family members arrived, Godinez-Diaz said she wasn't having any more pain but one family member noticed her abdomen had changed in size, the report said.

The boyfriend's father searched and found the baby near a shed. She was found with a potting plant bucket on top of her and the boyfriend's father saw her feet moving, the report said.

When Miami-Dade Fire Rescue workers arrived the baby was found wrapped in a blue blanket and had dirt and leaves on her body, the report said. Godinez-Diaz told officers she suffers from memory loss following a car accident in April, the report said.

"The offender made no intention of seeking help for the child. The child was disregarded in the backyard and was concealed by a bucket," the report noted.

The baby was hospitalized and suffers from a "genetic malformation of the brain," the report said. Officials with the Florida Department of Children and Families say they have opened an investigation on the case.

The report said Godinez-Diaz had recently come to the United States from Guatemala and was living with her boyfriend. The two have another child that was born in Guatemala, the report said.