Police in Texas have arrested a father accused of a heinous crime against his daughter and her unborn child. Jerry Lee Martinez, 45, allegedly impregnated his 17-year-old daughter and then physically assaulted her after learning of the pregnancy. Martinez reportedly took the girl to Mexico for an abortion, causing her to miscarry the baby at a Kingsville Walmart.
According to KRIS, officers with the Kingsville Police Department responded to a Walmart just before 11 p.m. on July 14, 2025. They received a call about an abandoned newborn baby. Walmart employees tried to save the infant’s life, but doctors at Christus Spohn Hospital-Kleberg pronounced her dead a short time later. Surveillance from the store helped police identify the 17-year-old who was the baby’s mother. They found her inside a vehicle in the store’s parking lot. Emergency crews rushed her to an area hospital for treatment.
The 17-year-old told investigators her father allegedly began touching her inappropriately when she was 15 years old and forced her to have sex with him, WLTX reported. The teen also told police her father took her to Mexico earlier in the day for an abortion and that is why she delivered the stillborn baby in the bathroom that evening. Martinez allegedly hit his daughter in the stomach on multiple occasions after finding out she was pregnant with his baby.
According to online jail records, officials booked Martinez in Kleberg County Jail on charges of abandoning or endangering a child, sexually assaulting a child, tampering with evidence, and tampering with a witness. Kingsville Police Chief John Blair told KRIS that Martinez remains in jail on a $1.3 million bond.
In addition, KRIS reported Mathis Police Chief Willie Figueroa arrested Martinez’s stepfather, 60-year-old Mario Duran. Officials charged Duran and booked him into San Patricio County Jail on a $300,000 bond. Police declined to release details of his arrest, claiming the investigation is ongoing.
Police did not arrest Martinez’s teenage daughter but took her to a safe location, per WLTX.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, the National Sexual Assault Hotline provides confidential 24/7 support. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or chat online at RAINN.
