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Sarah A. Chavez
A Las Cruces mother suspected of failing to provide adequate nutrition for her 10-month-old underdeveloped daughter has been arrested and charged with child abuse, Las Cruces police said in a news release.
Sarah A. Chavez, 27, was arrested March 27 and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond, which she posted the same day, the release said. She is facing one count of negligent child abuse.
Police detectives said the 10-month-old girl was admitted to El Paso Children’s Hospital on March 14 because she was small for her age, had difficulty sitting without support and weighed around 13 pounds, and medical professionals said the girl was not receiving the proper nutrition for her age.
Detectives said that while at the hospital Chavez failed to feed her daughter as directed by medical staff during the hours of 8:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. because she allegedly believed the child would get used to eating during those hours, according to the news release.
Chavez also removed her daughter from the hospital against medical advice on March 17, Child Protective Services told the detectives.
Child Protective Services later took custody of the child, who was readmitted to the El Paso Children’s Hospital on March 19, where she has been receiving enough nutrition to gain weight, according to police.
