Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Director Anthony A. Caputo of the New Brunswick Police Department said today that two people have been charged with the improper disposal of an infant.
Jaciel Torres-Lopez, 34, and Mercedes Sanchez-Torres, 30, both of New Brunswick, have been charged with hindering an investigation into the death of their newborn and desecration of human remains.
Bail was set at $100,000 for each of the defendants. They were charged on May 19, 2016.
Torres-Lopez was served at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center, where he has been held since his arrest on May 17, 2016, after being charged with hindering for lying to police during the investigation.
Sanchez-Torres was charged on May 19, 2016 at St. Peter’s University Hospital, where she was admitted after giving birth to the male infant.
The defendants were charged during an investigation by Detective Harry Lemmerling of the New Brunswick Police Department and Detective David Abromaitis of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
During the investigation, it was determined that the woman gave birth to the child, but his whereabouts were unknown.
Police authorized an excavation of a sewer line at the couple’s home on Remsen Avenue on May 17, ensuing a search of the Edgeboro Disposal Inc. landfill in East Brunswick the following day.
As many as 30 law enforcement officers have been searching the landfill for the infant’s remains, which have yet to be recovered.
The search and the investigation are continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Lemmerling of the New Brunswick Police Department at (732) 745-5200, or Detective Abromaitis of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3300.