Authorities in Hidalgo County, Texas, are looking into the alleged murder of a newborn girl on Christmas weekend. The mother, who is in the country illegally, reportedly confessed to suffocating her.

The case began on December 23, when deputies responded to a house north of Mercedes, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the sheriff’s office revealed. Deputies responded to a 911 call made by 34-year-old Maria Guadalupe Cardenas who reportedly said she had murdered her baby.

When deputies arrived, they encountered Cardenas. Authorities discovered the body of the one-month-old girl. A local justice of the peace pronounced the newborn dead and ordered an autopsy. Crime scene investigators and detectives searched the home, reportedly finding evidence of the murder.

On Christmas Eve, Cardenas went before Justice of the Peace Robert Contreras who formally charged her with one count of capital murder and set her bond at $1 million before ordering her back to a cell. Breitbart Texas was able to confirm with local and federal authorities that Cardenas is not a U.S. citizen and is in the country illegally.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.