EAST BRUNSWICK – Police authorized the excavation of a sewer line at a home on Remsen Avenue in New Brunswick and then authorities turned their attention to the Middlesex County Landfill on Edgeboro Road in East Brunswick on May 18 in a search for the remains of a newborn boy.
As many as 30 law enforcement officers have been searching the landfill for the infant’s remains, which had not been recovered as of May 20, according to a statement prepared by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Director Anthony A. Caputo of the New Brunswick Police Department on the afternoon of May 20.
The search and the investigation are continuing.
Two people have been charged with the alleged improper disposal of an infant. Jaciel Torres-Lopez, 34, and Mercedes Sanchez-Torres, 30, of Remsen Avenue, New Brunswick, have each been charged with hindering an investigation into the death of their newborn son and the desecration of human remains, according to the statement.
During the investigation, it was determined the woman gave birth to the child, but his whereabouts were unknown, officials said.
Torres-Lopez was served with the charges at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick on May 19, where he has been held since his arrest on May 17, after being charged with allegedly lying to police during the investigation.
Sanchez-Torres was charged on May 19 at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she was admitted after giving birth to the male infant, according to the statement.
Authorities did not say when Sanchez-Torres gave birth to the child or when she was admitted to the hospital.
Bail was set at $100,000 for each defendant.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Detective Harry Lemmerling of the New Brunswick Police Department at 732-745-5200 or Detective David Abromaitis of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-3300.
