Jennifer Benavides was only waiting for the bus.
A young woman approached her to ask for her phone. Her name was Karla Ibarra, she was 18 years old, and she was carrying her barely one-month-old son. What happened next was something no one saw coming: Ibarra placed the baby in her arms, handed her the birth certificate, Medicaid card, and Social Security card, and told her she wanted to give him away because she no longer wanted him.
It was Sunday night, September 13, in downtown San Antonio, Texas, around 10:45 p.m. Benavides, not knowing what to do, called a friend for help while Ibarra got into an Uber and left without her son. The young mother later returned to the area and was arrested, accused of abandoning and endangering a minor with the intention of returning for him. The baby was placed in the care of other relatives, protected by the decision of a stranger who didn’t know how to say no.
