Sentenced: Esmerelda's Dead Newborn Found In Bathtub, Tied In Plastic Grocery Bag

[Sugar Cookie]

27‑year‑old Esmeralda Duran Rodriguez has been sentenced to 10 months in jail, one year after deputies found her newborn dead in a bathtub.

According to the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were alerted by an emergency room in March 2025 after a woman reported she had delivered a placenta at home earlier that day. When the woman, 27‑year‑old Esmeralda Duran Rodriguez, arrived at the hospital, staff noted she did not have a baby with her.

Deputies then went to her home to investigate, where they met with Rodriguez’s brother, who allowed them to search for the baby. They found the placenta on a bed along with a severed umbilical cord, according to a press release.

“Initially, no infant was located; however, due to the circumstances and the likelihood of a birth taking place at the residence, the Deputies continued searching,” the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said. “A short time later, the body of an infant was located deceased in a bathtub wrapped inside a towel, which had been further secreted in a tied plastic grocery bag.”

https://www.ketk.com/news/crime-public-safety/smith-county-mother-sentenced-after-infant-found-dead-in-grocery-bag-in-bathtub/

The newborn’s corpse was sent for autopsy to determine if it was alive at birth. However, the autopsy was inconclusive and found no evidence the baby was alive at birth.

“The autopsy returned, the body that is at issue here is a baby girl that she gave birth to in her home, the autopsy was inconclusive or just said there’s no evidence that the baby ever took a breath,” says State Prosecutor.

Prosecutors said they considered upgrading the charge to capital murder if the baby had been alive.

Smith County woman gets 10 months after newborn found dead in bathtub

Esmerelda Duran Rodriguez, 28, received 10 months in jail after pleading guilty to charges related to her newborn's body found in Smith County, Texas.

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