Police say Texas mother tried to give baby away to strangers on street

Yessenia Cardenas, 25, has been charged with abandoning or endangering a child

Police have accused Yessenia Cardenas, 25, of trying to give her baby away to pedestrians in Corpus Christi, Texas (KOAA)

A mother in Texas has been arrested after she allegedly tried to give her baby away to strangers on a street.

Police say the bizarre incident took place on Sunday morning in Corpus Christi, where witnesses saw Yessenia Cardenas, 25, walking down Comanche Street with her two-week-old baby in her arms, offering her to pedestrians.

“The reporting parties told officers that they stopped to speak with Yessenia, and it was at this time that she offered the infant to them,” the Corpus Christi Police Department said in a statement. “The witnesses took possession of the child and immediately called 911.”

Thanks to that concerned stranger, the baby is now in Child Protective Services, and Ms Cardenas is in jail. She has been charged with abandoning or endangering a child, a state jail felony.

Ms Cardenas has not been convicted of any wrongdoing, and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It was not immediately clear whether she has a lawyer who could comment on her behalf.

Police say when they arrested Ms Cardenas, she appeared to be on drugs.

“The officers contacted a medic unit to check on the welfare of the infant and as well as Yessenia, as she appeared to be under the influence of an unknown narcotic,” the CCPD said.

According to KOAA, the good Samaritan who called 911 was Claudia Canales, who was driving down Comanche Street when she saw Ms Cardenas with a baby “hanging on her arm.”

Ms Canales told the station she turned her car around to see if the woman needed help. Right away, Ms Cardenas handed her the baby.

According to Ms Canales, the young mother said she’d just smoked marijuana and couldn’t remember the last time the baby had eaten. At this point, Ms Canales called the police.