A newborn baby who was stuffed into a rubbish bag and thrown in a dumpster by his teenage mum was found alive by a maintenance worker who heard him 'mewing' like a kitten.
The incredible discovery was made by Carlos Michel outside an apartment complex in Houston, Texas. He said he heard what sounded like a cat mewing near the dumpster.
After throwing in a bag of rubbish, the crying got louder so he went to investigate. Inside a white trash bag along with food containers, scraps and school homework, Michel found a baby boy, weighing around seven or eight pounds, with four inches of his umbilical cord still attached.
Michel and another man took the baby to a nearby car to keep him warm while they waited for police and paramedics to arrive.
The baby was purple and having difficulty breathing but authorities at Memorial Hermann Hospital said he was recovering well.
Police have since identified the mother as a 16-year-old who attends South Houston High School.
In an emergency hearing, the girl's caseworker said the teenager had no idea she was pregnant and gave birth in a bathtub at home by herself, cutting the baby's umbilical cord with scissors.
It is claimed she thought the baby was dead when she placed it in the rubbish bin where the little boy was discovered soon after. The teen mother said she wanted the baby to be named Carlos after the maintenance man who found him.