A Mesa woman arrested after being located through DNA evidence and an unrelated arrest warrant is accused of abandoning a newborn girl in 2016.
Mesa police say 24-year-old Maricela Perez acknowledged giving birth in March 2016 and placing the hours-old baby in front of a home after deciding against taking the infant at a fire station designated as no-questions-asked haven for newborns.
Perez was arrested last week on suspicion of child abuse and endangerment. It's not immediately known whether she has an attorney who could comment on the allegations.
Police say officers were able to locate Perez in Mesa after getting a hit from a DNA evidence in blood found the baby's car seat carrier.
According to police, Perez has an active arrest warrant from Pima County.
