Woman Killed, Buried Newborn So Her Family Wouldn't Be Mad: Cops

ELMHURST, IL — A woman who had been keeping her pregnancy a secret from her family has been charged with killing her newborn child last fall, according to police in Leyden Township.

Authorities said Alvory C. Chavez Ramos, 23, suffocated her newborn son and buried him in the backyard of her home sometime between Oct. 31 and Nov. 30, according to medical examiner records.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Chavez Ramos gave birth in a bathtub in her family home and covered the child's mouth and nose to prevent relatives from hearing the baby cry and getting mad at her.

When the baby stopped moving, Chavez Ramos put him in a plastic bag and buried him in the backyard, officials said.

Police did not discover the child's remains until May of 2021 when an autopsy confirmed the child's cause of death was suffocation. DNA tests later proved Chavez Ramos was the boy's mother, leading to the 23-year-old's arrest Saturday.

Police did not immediately respond to questions on how the newborn's remains were discovered.

According to police, Chavez Ramos hid her pregnancy from family because "she did not want them to be angry with her," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Chavez Ramos was being held on a $95,000 bond after appearing in court Monday.