SAN ANTONIO – A 15-year-old girl with autism, who was allegedly abandoned by her mother near a set of garbage dumpsters, is now living with other relatives, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
TDFPS official Yadira Gonzales said the agency worked closely with law enforcement to ensure the teen’s safety and that she is with other family members now.
The girl’s mother, Natalie Rose Munno, 38, is being held in the Bexar County Adult Detention Center after her arrest earlier this week.
Munno is charged with abandoning a child.
An arrest warrant affidavit related to the case said Munno left her daughter inside a garbage dumpster enclosure near Loop 1604 and Potranco Road in June.
The document said surveillance cameras showed her driving up to the enclosure, placing her daughter inside, closing the metal doors and driving away.
The document also said a worker at a nearby coffee shop found the child screaming several hours later.
The girl, who has autism and is unable to speak, was found wearing a soiled diaper, the affidavit said. She also suffered from dehydration and had bruises on her hand, the document showed.
San Antonio police responded to the scene and had the girl transported to a hospital.
Meanwhile, the affidavit said, Munno returned to her home in Bandera alone where a relative became worried about the girl’s whereabouts.
“We received a report from the grandmother that the child had not been seen in several days,” said Bandera County Sheriff Dan Butts. “We interviewed the mother and got some conflicting stories.”
The Bandera County Sheriff’s Office briefly issued an AMBER Alert for the girl.
“After we entered the child as missing, SAPD found her in San Antonio,” Butts said.
Butts said he was unable to disclose whether Munno would face additional charges in Bandera County.
There also is no mention in the affidavit of the reason for the apparent delay in arresting Munno.
Munno was taken into custody on Aug. 4 in connection with the incident, which happened on June 13.
More coverage of this story on KSAT: