Mom Said She Didn’t Want To Stop Until Her Baby “Was Done Twitching”

Mom Said She Didn’t Want To Stop Until Her Baby “Was Done Twitching”

Quinton Simon, Jesse Shockley, Noah Tomlin, Kion Jones. These are just a few of the names of some of the victims we’ve covered on this channel that all met the same fate. They were all killed by their mothers and then discarded like trash in various dumpsters. To this day, some of these children have never been recovered. When a child goes missing, one of the first places police check are sorting facilities and landfills. Not only did law enforcement confirm this in Noah Tomlin’s case, but we also had a listener reach out to us who worked in a similar capacity, explaining that part of their job was to look out for the bodies of children and animals while sorting through salvage.

Today, we’re going to be discussing two unique cases that took place over 1,700 miles apart: the cases of Mateo Harding and Baby Sarah.

Mateo Harding was born on July 19th, 2023, in Oklahoma to parents Jesus Cazares and Esperanza Rae Harding. He came into this world just a month after his mother graduated from high school. According to his father, Jesus, he was really happy, enjoyed life, and was always laughing and joking. Mateo was an adorable baby boy with dark hair, big brown eyes, and a sweet smile. At the time of our story, he was just shy of eight months old and living with Esperanza in a hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.

She and Jesus had separated, and there was already a new man in her life: 18-year-old Edwin Cosmo Trudeau. There was just one major problem—Edwin hated Mateo. He wanted Esperanza to give her son up for adoption, and he wanted her to prove to him that he was her top priority. Sadly, Esperanza was such a desperate “pick-me” that she did exactly that. Sort of.

At around 4:45 p.m. on February 28th, 2024, Esperanza texted Edwin to vent her frustrations about her son. Apparently, the young mother wanted to take a bath, but Mateo’s crying was interrupting her desired peace and quiet. She told Edwin, “He’s doing too much right now. I can’t sleep. I’m trying, though. I’m about to do something bad. Please answer me. He’s going to not be here much longer.” Rather than try to comfort his girlfriend, stop by the hotel to help her out, or talk her down in some way, he told her, “Okay, that’s okay.”

A short time later, Esperanza texted Edwin back. This time, she told him that her son was dead and that she was sorry. Like the true psychopath that he is, Edwin replied, “Don’t be.” Esperanza claimed that she attempted CPR, but Edwin told her to stop. He texted, “It’s okay. I’mma help,” and later, “You’re making things harder. Stop. We are a team. We do this.”

According to reports, Edwin arrived at the hotel to find Baby Mateo dead on the bathroom floor. He allegedly attempted CPR but couldn’t be bothered to call emergency services. Edwin had finally gotten what he wanted: Mateo out of the picture and Esperanza all to himself. To add insult to injury, the couple hooked up in the hotel room while a seven-month-old baby lay dead in the next room. I really don’t know why this has to be a trend in cases we cover—where not only is someone sick enough to kill a baby, but then they hook up with someone right in front of the baby’s body. It is incredibly hard to wrap my mind around, but sadly, it happens more often than you think.

Another trend we’ve seen is that the pair fancied themselves as a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Before leaving, Edwin told Esperanza to keep her mouth shut. He said, “It is always going to be us, Bonnie and Clyde. If you go down, I go down, no matter what.” He then instructed her to act like she was taking her trash out and throw Mateo in the dumpster. Esperanza sadly did exactly that. She then told him that she knew she was going to do time because she, in her own words, “killed her own kid.”

The scary part is that Esperanza might have gotten away with her wicked crimes had she not shown up at the Children’s Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis empty-handed. According to a statement of probable cause filed by Detective Carrie Nolan on March 6, 2024, officers with the Bloomington Police Department responded to a call at the hospital for a report of a missing child. Upon arrival, the officers met with the victim’s mother, Esperanza.

Esperanza shared with the officers that her son, Mateo, had died of natural causes a week earlier on March 1st. However, she claimed that all of this had taken place at the hospital, yet the hospital had no record of her son being admitted, treated, or dying at their facility. In addition, the Office of the Medical Examiner had no record of a seven-month-old baby being transferred for an autopsy. Given the suspicious nature of the call and Esperanza’s wild claims, the officers decided to sit down with the young mom for an interview.

After continuing to provide inconsistent information, Esperanza eventually decided to come clean. Little Mateo hadn’t died at the hospital. In fact, on February 28th, she drowned him in the bathtub before wrapping his body, stuffing it inside a backpack, and tossing it into the dumpster at the hotel. According to Esperanza, she couldn’t enjoy her bath due to her son’s crying, so she decided to kill him. She then took a picture of Mateo’s body floating face down in the water and sent it to her boyfriend. Police later recovered the photo from her cell phone. Esperanza only removed him from the tub after—in her own words—”he was done moving, done twitching.”

Esperanza Harding was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and initially held on a $1.5 million bail. Edwin Trudeau was also arrested and charged with aiding an offender. Both were held in the Hennepin County Jail, awaiting their April 3rd, 2024, hearing. After learning of Mateo’s fate, his biological father, Jesus Cazares, as well as his extended family, held a vigil for the little boy outside of the Bloomington hotel where he was killed.

His family and friends remembered him fondly: “He was really happy. He enjoyed life. The baby Mateo lit up every room with that smile for eight months of his life. He was always laughing and just enjoying life.”

Now, pictures and videos are all his dad, Jesus Cazares, has left. “Right now, I probably have more anger than sadness,” he shared after finding out what happened to his son. Court documents showed Esperanza Harding allegedly drowned her son in a hotel bathtub. Friends noted that her stories weren’t adding up, prompting hospital staff to get authorities involved. Harding initially told officers her son died in the hospital, but with no record of the child being there, investigators eventually got the 20-year-old to admit she drowned her son, wrapped up the body, and threw it in a dumpster. “She didn’t cry. Who doesn’t cry for their baby?” one person noted.

Harding told police her 18-year-old boyfriend, Edwin Trudeau, did not like her son. She claimed it was his idea to throw her son in the dumpster and not tell anyone. Mateo’s body has still not been found. His family pleaded, “We just want to find Mateo. We just want justice for him, to be able to give him a proper burial. He was a sweet baby, always smiling. Honestly, I don’t want anything else other than just to find my son and give him the peace he needs.”

On December 20th, 2024, now 21-year-old Esperanza pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder. In March 2025, she was sentenced to 384 months in prison with 366 days of credit for time served. In a statement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared, “My thoughts are with Mateo’s family today. This was a heartbreaking case, and while Ms. Harding is being held accountable, it does not return Mateo to his family or offer him the life he should have had the chance to live.”

On February 23rd, 2025, now 20-year-old Edwin pleaded guilty to one charge of aiding an offender, accomplice after the fact, and for helping to conceal Mateo’s murder. In May 2025, Edwin was sentenced to 74 months in prison with 145 days credit for time already served. Attorney Moriarty also spoke at Edwin’s sentencing, stating, “Mr. Trudeau attempted to help conceal a violent, heartbreaking act. All of our thoughts are with Mateo’s family. They should be getting ready to celebrate his second birthday, and instead, they’re left with a lifetime of grief. Mr. Trudeau is being held accountable for his actions.”

Esperanza Harding and Edwin Trudeau are still being held in the Hennepin County Jail. It’s unclear where or when they’ll be moved to a more permanent facility to serve out the remainder of their sentences. In the wake of Mateo’s death, his aunt, Emily Cazares, started a GoFundMe to help with expenses. The caption, written in both English and Spanish, reads as follows:

“With our heart in our hands, we invite you to help our beloved baby boy who lost his life in the hands of a devastating decision. Our baby boy, Mateo Harding, was only 7 months old when a person’s wrongful choices took him away from us. He was a happy, sweet, and loving baby boy. On February 28th, 2024, Mateo Harding had his life taken away by his mother, who had previously taken him away from his loving father the year prior with law enforcement help. She had abandoned him for 3 months after giving birth and then came back looking for him after my brother called the police. They didn’t help much and just decided to let her keep my nephew and proceeded to tell him he needed to go to court to get him back. Later on, she promised to do custody arrangements and co-parent. This woman took Mateo away with lies from his loving father, who she had a custody arrangement with. Please, if you can help us with anything to help provide economic ease for funeral expenses once the remains of our sweet beloved baby are found. I am his aunt, and we are still holding on to his memory. We will be using this money towards his funeral expenses and to find him. Please help us.”

The fundraiser is currently closed, managing to raise $1,390. As of the date of this recording in May of 2025, Mateo Harding’s body has never been recovered. Due to the amount of time that’s passed, it’s very unlikely that this sweet 7-month-old little boy will ever have a proper burial. He’ll sadly join the ranks of many other children we’ve discussed whose parents decided they were no better than garbage and treated them as such.

Our next case brings us to Boca Raton, Florida.

On May 9th, 2019, two maintenance workers heard a faint cry coming from a dumpster located at the Boca Entrada apartment complex. They thought it might be a kitten that had gotten trapped and couldn’t make its way back out. When they went to have a look, instead of a kitten, the two men found a newborn baby girl. Her umbilical cord was still attached, and she had been wrapped in a plastic garbage bag along with trash and coffee grounds. Understandably shaken, one of the men called 911.

Dispatcher: “911, what’s the address of your emergency?” Caller: “Yes, there’s a baby in the garbage.” Dispatcher: “Baby in the garbage. Is the baby breathing?” Caller: “Yes, I’m… I’m shaking.” Dispatcher: “Let me speak to them one moment. The baby’s in a dumpster, right?” Caller: “Yes. Uh, we pulled it out. It was in a garbage bag.” Dispatcher: “He found a baby inside a dumpster, and the baby is breathing. The baby was in a garbage bag.” Caller: “Please.” Dispatcher: “All right. And how old does the baby appear to be?” Caller: “It’s born. It’s a newborn. The blood is still in there.” Dispatcher: “Is the umbilical cord still attached?” Caller: “Uh, yes, I believe so. Yes.” Dispatcher: “Okay. And is it crying?” Caller: “It was crying. That’s how we found out. We heard a cry. We thought it was a cat and we pulled the bag up.” Dispatcher: “Try your best just to wrap them in your arms. Okay? Just the warmth from your body will help.” Caller: “Okay.” Dispatcher: “All right, sir. We have police and paramedics coming to you, okay?” Caller: “Thank you. Thank you.”

The 6 lb, 8 oz baby girl was taken to the West Boca Medical Center, and in a rarity when looking at cases like these—but very thankfully—she made a full recovery and was placed into the care of Florida’s Department of Children and Families. She was described as “cute as a button.” Police searched through the apartment’s dumpsters looking for any clues that could lead them to the child’s mother or whomever decided it was a good idea to throw a live newborn into the garbage.

Under Florida law, newborns can be dropped off anonymously at a hospital or a fire station with no questions asked. Although laws have changed now, in 2019 when this took place, those wishing not to carry their pregnancies to term could legally do so up until the 15-week mark. It should be noted that we’re not advocating for anything other than not throwing your baby in the trash; we are just sharing what the laws were at the time the crime occurred.

The police noticed a trash bag in the same dumpster that looked similar to the one the baby girl was found in, and they decided to search it. They located a bundle of napkins containing a large amount of blood, as well as a receipt to a local beauty supply store. This singular receipt would prove to be their ace in the hole. The police paid a visit to the beauty supply store and presented the clerks with the receipt. To their surprise, the customer was known to them, and the clerks were able to provide her name and home address.

The customer was a 35-year-old Brazilian woman and local at-home nail technician named Rafaela Alexandre Carvalho Sousa, who lived in the apartment complex where the baby was located. With crime scene tape securing a back corner of the West Boca apartment complex, an ambulance took a woman from the complex escorted by a sheriff’s deputy. The sheriff’s office soon announced they had detained a woman in connection with the one-day-old baby girl left in a nearby dumpster with her umbilical cord still attached.

Isaac Sadaka, a local resident, told reporters he was walking by the dumpster that Wednesday morning and realized what a maintenance worker had just discovered. “I saw the gentleman, the maintenance guy, helping the baby and crying a little bit. I said, ‘Don’t be sad. That’s a baby you found.’ He said, ‘Yeah, who would do something like that?’ I said, ‘Somebody not full of love.'”

A sheriff’s lieutenant reiterated that the girl was “cute as a button,” weighing 6 lb 8 oz, and noted she appeared African-American or Hispanic. Locals expressed hope that the mother would be found and the baby would be properly cared for.

Although initial news reports claimed they didn’t know who was taken via ambulance to the hospital, local networks managed to capture video of the incident. It was Rafaela. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department arrested her on charges of attempted felony murder and booked her into the county jail. The following morning, she appeared before 15th Judicial Circuit Judge Ted Booras along with a Portuguese translator, where she was ordered to have no contact with her newborn.

Through her translator, Rafaela explained that she gave birth to her baby in her bathroom. She claimed that the baby was unresponsive and not breathing, but rather than call 911, Rafaela waited for 3 hours before disposing of the child. She told the court that she returned to the dumpster two times to make sure the baby was dead but never approached the bag due to others being present nearby. However, this story didn’t make sense, as the little girl was found crying the following morning.

According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Brian Cox, Rafaela did not have a valid visa, and the agency was planning to take her into custody and deport her back to Brazil once her criminal case was resolved. However, in January of 2020, Rafaela and her lawyers attempted to have her voluntary confession thrown out. They claimed she had not been read her Miranda rights properly before speaking with detectives. According to court documents, the deputy, who also spoke Portuguese, did not advise Rafaela that anything she said would be used against her in a court of law. Prosecutors argued that the defendant was not in custody at the time of the questioning, and therefore, Miranda warnings were not necessary. Judge Kirk Volker sided with the prosecution.

The judge denied Rafaela Sousa’s motion to suppress statements she made to police when they questioned her at her apartment that day, meaning her confession could be used in the criminal case against her.

There’s one last person we haven’t heard from in this story, and that’s Rafaela’s boyfriend, Carlos Jimenez Martinez. Carlos moved to Florida from Brazil with Rafaela 10 years prior, and the two shared a three-year-old son. That son was quickly whisked away by social services. According to Carlos, he had no idea that his girlfriend was pregnant, let alone that she had given birth inside their apartment. Carlos worked full-time for a landscaping company, normally starting his shifts around 7:00 a.m. At night, he took online courses, and on weekends, he performed with a local samba band and participated in church activities.

When Rafaela gave birth, Carlos was supposedly asleep in their shared bed. The couple also had a roommate staying in the guest bedroom who was completely clueless about what had occurred. When Carlos woke up the next morning, he claimed that his girlfriend was doing her usual morning routine, which included cooking breakfast and taking care of household chores.

In an interview, Carlos told reporters in Spanish, “I feel two ways about her right now. I feel terribly sorry for her, and I feel furious at her. Why? Why didn’t she tell me? I never would have let this happen. That little baby is my daughter. I never would have allowed her to be thrown away or even given away.”

According to Carlos, he only found out what had occurred after he came home from work on the 9th. “She was sitting right there, and she turns to me and says, ‘I did it.’ She confessed to me. She said, ‘This is my problem, not yours.’ I tell her, ‘What did you do?’ Then I went to tell the police.”

Carlos struggled to make sense of what happened. He questioned whether or not Rafaela even knew she was pregnant, or if she legitimately thought she had a stillbirth, adding, “The other night, we went out and we had a few drinks. Later, she got sick and was throwing up. I asked myself why she would be drinking if she knew she was pregnant. Either she didn’t know, or she was a horrible person. And she said the baby did not cry. She waited to see if the baby reacted, but it did not. That’s what she said when the police were here that day. I really don’t know.”

Carlos fought for custody of both of his children. When asked what he’d named the little girl, he said, “I want to name her Sarah. It’s a beautiful name. It’s gentle and normal. We had a good life. We worked hard. We always had our necessities. There was never a lack of food here. We could have welcomed a baby.”

On July 27th, 2022, Rafaela, who had previously pleaded not guilty, changed her plea. She was sentenced to 7 and 1/2 years in jail with credit for more than 3 years of time served. Following her release, she will have to serve 5 years of probation. As of the date of this recording in July of 2025, it’s unclear whether she will be sent back to Brazil or not.

Although both cases we discussed today are tragic, I will leave you with a happy ending. Carlos regained custody of both of his children, and he got his wish. He named his baby girl Sarah.