An 18-year-old Texas mother has been arrested after police said she allegedly handed her 1-month-old son to a stranger at a downtown San Antonio bus stop before leaving the area in an Uber.

Karla Ibarra was charged with abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return following the incident, according to Bexar County court records. A judge set her bail at $7,000.

The incident occurred on the night of Sunday, Sept. 13, at a bus stop in downtown San Antonio. According to police and the woman who encountered Ibarra, the mother approached Jennifer Benavides and initially asked to use her cellphone.

The encounter quickly took an unexpected turn.

Benavides told KSAT that Ibarra handed her the infant and said she wanted to give him away. The baby was approximately one month old.

“She begins handing me his birth certificate, his Medicaid, his Social Security card,” Benavides recalled in an interview with the station.

Benavides said Ibarra appeared serious about leaving the child with her. Rather than simply leaving the baby at the bus stop, Benavides attempted to get help and brought Ibarra and the infant to a friend’s nearby home.

At the residence, the women reportedly fed and changed the baby. Ibarra then allegedly arranged an Uber ride and left without taking her son.

Police were contacted after the mother left the child behind.

Authorities later arrested Ibarra after she returned to the area. Her infant son was subsequently placed in the care of relatives, according to Child Protective Services information provided to KSAT.

Mother Allegedly Said She No Longer Wanted the Child

San Antonio police said Ibarra told the stranger that she no longer wanted the baby. The allegation was also reflected in reporting based on the police report and court records.

Benavides said she was shocked by the situation but believed she happened to be in the right place to help the infant.

“It’s upsetting to know that, with even all the resources that we have out there, that somebody would just do this,” Benavides told KSAT.

The case has also drawn attention to Texas’ Baby Moses Law, which provides a legal and anonymous way for a parent to surrender an unharmed infant who is 60 days old or younger.

However, the law requires the child to be surrendered at a designated emergency infant care location, such as a hospital, fire station or EMS station, and handed directly to an employee. Simply giving a baby to a stranger at a bus stop does not constitute a surrender under the law.

Investigation Continues

Ibarra faces a criminal charge of abandoning and endangering a child with intent to return. Her arrest and the allegations against her are not a determination of guilt, and the case will proceed through the court system.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed all details surrounding the circumstances that led Ibarra to allegedly leave her infant with a stranger.

For Benavides, the encounter was an unexpected moment that placed her in a position to protect a newborn she had never met before.

The baby was ultimately removed from the situation safely and placed with relatives while authorities continued their investigation.