Avia Cantrell charged with murder in Fort Worth
- Avia Cantrell, 23, remains in custody in Texas following the discovery of her newborn daughter's body inside a suitcase near a dumpster in Fort Worth.
- The investigation began on October 18, 2026, when a man in a situation of homelessness discovered the infant's remains inside a suitcase near a garbage container outside the...
- The case advanced on October 19, 2026, when Cantrell's sister-in-law requested a welfare check due to concerns about the pregnant woman and her three other children living at...
Avia Cantrell, 23, remains in custody in Texas following the discovery of her newborn daughter’s body inside a suitcase near a dumpster in Fort Worth.
The October Discovery on Camp Bowie West Boulevard
The investigation began on October 18, 2026, when a man in a situation of homelessness discovered the infant’s remains inside a suitcase near a garbage container outside the Drummers Inn on Camp Bowie West Boulevard. Responding police officers confirmed at the scene that the infant had been dead for several hours. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently undertook an examination to establish the exact cause of death.
Security Footage and Hotel Room Confession
The case advanced on October 19, 2026, when Cantrell’s sister-in-law requested a welfare check due to concerns about the pregnant woman and her three other children living at the motel. Motel surveillance video captured a woman throwing away a box containing a baby car seat, which the motel manager identified as Cantrell. When officers entered the room, Cantrell confessed that she gave birth to a baby girl in the bathtub on October 14 and left the infant face down in the water for approximately 30 minutes, according to court documents.
🚨 BREAKING: 2 ARRESTED IN DEATH OF INFANT FOUND AT WEST FORT WORTH MOTELFORT WORTH, TX — Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of an infant whose body was discovered Monday evening near a dumpster at a motel along Camp Bowie Boulevard in west Fort Worth.…
Charges Filed in Tarrant County Court
According to court records, the couple kept the infant’s body in a bag near the toilet for four days before Camron Baker, 26, placed the remains in a brown floral suitcase and disposed of them in the dumpster. Authorities formally charged Avia Cantrell with the murder of a person under 10 years of age on October 19, 2026. Camron Baker faces a separate charge of abuse of a corpse. Both suspects remain in police custody as the legal proceedings continue.