Police say the 18-year-old handed her infant to a woman she had just met at a downtown San Antonio bus stop.
SAN ANTONIO — An 18-year-old mother faces a child-abandonment charge after police say she handed her infant to a stranger at a downtown San Antonio bus stop, told the woman she no longer wanted the child and later left the area without him.
Karla Ibarra was arrested after the Sept. 13 encounter and charged with abandoning or endangering a child with intent to return, according to Bexar County court records and a San Antonio police report. A judge set bail at $7,000, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The child was later placed with relatives, according to Child Protective Services. The charge is an allegation, and the case has not been adjudicated.
The incident happened shortly before 11 p.m. near downtown San Antonio. A police report cited by the Express-News placed the encounter at a bus stop in the 200 block of Broadway near Travis Park. Jennifer Benavides, the woman who encountered Ibarra, later told KSAT that she had been waiting for a bus when a woman carrying an infant approached and asked to use her phone.
Benavides said she complimented the baby and was surprised when the mother began talking about giving him away. In an interview later carried by local and national news outlets, Benavides said the woman handed her the infant along with documents that included his birth certificate, Medicaid information and Social Security card. Benavides described the child as a 1-month-old boy. The initial police report cited by the Express-News did not specify the baby’s age or gender.
According to Benavides’ account, she tried to persuade the mother not to leave the child and sought help from a friend who lived nearby. Benavides said she, Ibarra and the infant went to the friend’s home, where the baby was fed and changed. She said Ibarra then arranged a ride through Uber and left without the child. Police were contacted after the mother left, according to the accounts.
Benavides said Ibarra later returned while officers were at the scene. Police arrested her on the child-abandonment allegation. Child Protective Services subsequently confirmed to KSAT that the baby had been placed with other relatives. Authorities have not publicly released the child’s name, and reports reviewed for this story did not describe any injury to the infant.
The case has also drawn attention to Texas’ Baby Moses, or Safe Haven, law. Under state law, a parent may voluntarily surrender a child who appears to be 60 days old or younger to a designated emergency infant care provider without disclosing the parent’s identity, if the requirements of the law are met. Texas law identifies qualifying providers and allows an infant to be delivered to an employee or, at certain facilities, placed in an approved newborn safety device.
The safe-haven provisions are intended to provide a lawful alternative to abandoning a young infant in another setting. State law says a designated provider that accepts a qualifying child must take steps needed to protect the baby’s health and safety. The existence of the law does not determine whether Ibarra committed the offense charged against her; that question remains part of the criminal court process.
Police have not publicly released a detailed explanation for why Ibarra allegedly sought to leave the child with a stranger rather than use a designated safe-haven location. Reporting reviewed for this story also did not establish whether she had an attorney who had commented publicly on the accusation. Her intent and the circumstances leading up to the encounter remain matters for investigators and the court.
Ibarra’s criminal case remains pending. The baby was reported to be in the care of relatives following the arrest, while authorities had not announced additional charges or a final disposition as of Monday.
Author note: Last updated September 21, 2026.