An Albuquerque mother has been sentenced to 18 years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections in the death of her 4-month-old son, a baby who was born with fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system and placed back in his parents' home under a state safety plan before he died. Gabriella Muniz pleaded no contest to child abuse resulting in death in July.
The sentencing closes out a case that began when the infant was discharged from the hospital after birth, according to KRQE. New Mexico's Children, Youth & Families Department allowed the baby to go home under what is known as a safety plan, according to KOB. Months later, the child was dead.
Albuquerque police arrested Muniz and the baby's father, Victor Gonzales, in June 2025 in connection with the infant's death. Investigators said the couple had gone to sleep in the same bed as the child after using narcotics, the station's report states. The infant was exposed to methamphetamine and stopped breathing, krqe.com reported.
A Welfare Check Preceded the Discovery
According to the criminal complaint, a CYFD worker requested a welfare check on June 3 of that year because there had been no recent contact with the family, as reported by koat.com. The couple told deputies they had been sleeping with the baby between them, then woke up and found him unresponsive, per the same account.
Deputies searching the home said they found fentanyl powder, a syringe loaded with heroin and small bags of methamphetamine, koat.com reported. Investigators also found a stolen firearm inside Gonzales's vehicle, the outlet noted. An autopsy found methamphetamine in the infant's system, but prosecutors could not determine whether the baby died from methamphetamine exposure or suffocation, according to krqe.com.
Father Claimed He Rolled Onto the Baby
Gonzales, the infant's father, separately pleaded no contest to reckless child abuse resulting in death. Judge Brett Loveless accepted the plea deal and sentenced him to 22 years in prison, krqe.com reported. Gonzales had claimed he rolled over on top of the baby while he was sleeping, according to the outlet's account of the case.
The case is one of several in Bernalillo County this year involving infants and toddlers exposed to drugs in the home. In a separate case, Monique Sanchez and Thomas Soto were each sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday for the 2024 overdose death of their 1-year-old daughter, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Those parents pleaded guilty to abandonment of a child resulting in death and child abuse, and the judge imposed the maximum 15-year term allowed under their plea agreements, the paper reported. The Office of the Medical Investigator determined that child died from acute fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, per the Journal.
Broader Questions About State Oversight
The Muniz case has drawn attention to how New Mexico handles infants born exposed to drugs. A New Mexico Department of Justice report found that failed implementation of the state's Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act leaves more than 1,200 drug-affected newborns at risk each year, citing untimely guidance and unenforceable plans of care. A separate Department of Justice document described CYFD's approach to oversight as, in the report's words, deflect, delay, and withhold.
A program evaluation from the New Mexico Legislature similarly concluded that case management, screening and identification of substance-exposed newborns under CARA should be improved.
