Grand Jury Indictment Returned on Rosa Maria Santana for Child Abuse

The mother who snuck her newborn baby from Phoenix hospital and triggered an Amber Alert pleads not guilty to child abuse on Wednesday.

The office of Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the indictment of 24-year-old Rosa Maria Santana. Santana faces one count of child abuse, a class four felony.

According to law enforcement on July 12, Santana allegedly placed her six-day old baby in a duffel bag and removed him from Valleywise Health Medical Center. The newborn was using a feeding tube and receiving treatment for opioid withdrawal after fentanyl was found in his umbilical cord.


Santana was arrested two weeks ago after police found her at an apartment near 71st Avenue and Indian School Road, unconscious with the baby and drugs by her side, authorities said.

“In this case, a child less than a week old was put in harms way. Our office will fight for justice for those who don’t have a voice and are most vulnerable,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said.