SAN ANTONIO – A 15-year-old girl with autism who was allegedly abandoned by her mother near a row of dumpsters is now living with other relatives, according to a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

TDFPS Officer Yadira Gonzales said the agency has been working closely with law enforcement to ensure the youth’s safety and she is now with other family members.

The girl’s mother, Natalie Rose Munno, 38, has been held at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center since her arrest earlier this week.

Munno is accused of child abandonment.

An arrest warrant affidavit states Munno left her daughter in a fenced-off area of ​​a dumpster near Loop 1604 and Potranco Road in June.

The document says surveillance cameras showed her driving to the enclosure, putting her daughter inside, closing the metal doors and driving away.

The document also states that an employee at a nearby café found the child screaming several hours later.

The girl, who is autistic and cannot speak, was found wearing a dirty diaper, the affidavit states. She also suffered from dehydration and had bruises on her hand, the document states.

San Antonio police arrived at the scene and had the girl taken to a hospital.

Meanwhile, the affidavit states, Munno returned alone to her home in Bandera, where a relative was concerned about the girl’s whereabouts.

“We received a report from the grandmother that the child had not been seen for several days,” said Bandera County Sheriff Dan Butts. “We interviewed the mother and received conflicting statements.”

The Bandera County Sheriff’s Office briefly issued an AMBER alert for the girl.

“After we reported the child missing, SAPD found her in San Antonio,” Butts said.

Butts said he could not comment on whether Munno would face additional charges in Bandera County.

The reason for the apparent delay in Munno’s arrest is also not mentioned in the affidavit.

Munno was taken into custody on August 4 in connection with the incident, which occurred on June 13.

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