The New Mexico Supreme Court has ruled that body camera footage in which a young woman confessed to hiding her newborn baby in a hospital bin cannot be used as evidence against her, after finding that the recording was protected by doctor-patient confidentiality. The decision is a significant setback for prosecutors pursuing a first-degree murder case and could shape how law enforcement and hospital staff handle sensitive medical situations involving police in future.

Alexee Trevizo was 19 when she was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in 2023, after hospital staff and police confronted her when a lifeless infant was discovered in a tied plastic bag in a hospital rubbish bin following her visit to the bathroom. Footage from officers' body cameras captured the moment she and her mother were told of the discovery, but the state's highest court has now excluded this material from the case, ruling it fell under confidentiality protections between a patient and medical providers.