APD arrests mother for death of 6-month-old baby

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — First responders found a six-month-old baby girl dead at a Days Inn hotel in northwest Albuquerque Sunday. Her twin sister was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

The cause of death is still under investigation at this time, but officers said the hotel room where the baby was found was littered with drugs and drug residue – well within the reach of the baby and her sister.

Police said there was a “straw pipe” in a car seat, and documents say “black tar residue” was covering most of the floor.

APD has charged the baby’s mother, 30-year-old Gloria Tesillo, with child abuse and possession of a controlled substance. Police say she may face additional charges.

“The information I have as of right now is that this child had not entered into the CYFD system,” said Teresa Casados, interim secretary for the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.

Casados spoke before the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee Monday. She touched on the loss of the baby, but also on a state program called CARA aimed at helping newborns and mothers battling substance use disorders. CARA stands for the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act.

Under the act, a plan of care is offered to a family when an infant is born exposed to substances. It’s basically a packet of resources – but it’s not mandatory, and there’s been little to no follow up with those families.

“There had not been any sort of indication at birth of substance exposure,” Casados said. “There was not a CARA plan. There was nothing that indicated at the time that this child was not safe.”

Tesillo’s two other children had been removed from her case, just a few years before those twins were born.

While CYFD said the infant was not part of that program, the department has provided conflicting data on the number of children who have died with a plan of care.

According to police, an officer was flagged down Sunday morning near the hotel about the baby. The officer found the baby inside a room and began rendering aid. The baby was not conscious and was not breathing.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue arrived and took over life-saving measures, but the baby was declared dead.

Tesillo told police she was working at the Days Inn and left her twin infants in the care of her sister in a hotel room. However, police spoke with Tesillo’s mother and sister and both of them said they had never been at the hotel.

This is a developing story. Stay with KOB 4 Eyewitness News and KOB.com for updates.