The New Brunswick pair had immigration detainers and were taken into custody by ICE officials after their sentencing earlier this month
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A city couple accused of dumping their stillborn baby boy in the garbage have been sentenced on charges connected to the case and are awaiting deportation to Mexico, according to court records.
Jaciel Torres-Lopez and Mercedes Sanchez-Torres, both of New Brunswick, were sentenced to time served as part of plea deals made with the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office on April 7, according to public defender George Nassif.
Torres-Lopez pleaded guilty to two counts of hindering apprehension, one for his arrest and another for trying to prevent the arrest of Sanchez-Torres, who pleaded guilty to one count of hindering apprehension, according to Nassif.
All the charges were four-degree crimes and both defendants served at least 300 days in jail, the attorney said. The other charges were dropped.
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Each faced charges of conspiracy, desecrating human remains or failure to properly dispose of remains, obstructing and seven counts of hindering apprehension, according to the indictment.
Nassif, who represented Torres-Lopez, said both had immigration detainers and were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after their sentencing.
ICE officials could not be reached for comment on the couple's current status.
The county prosecutor's office accused the couple of illegally disposing of their newborn baby last May, sparking a multi-day search for the baby's remains in the Middlesex County Landfill, located on Edgeboro Road in East Brunswick.
Authorities also excavated the sewer line at the couples Remsen Avenue home in the search, which involved as many as 30 law enforcement officers.
Torres-Lopez was accused of lying to investigators in Middlesex County jail following his arrest on charges over the alleged incident.
Sanchez-Torres, who at that time was a patient at St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, was charged later after she admitted to giving birth to a stillborn baby boy, according to the prosecutor's office.
A grand jury handed up a nine-count indictment on Dec. 16, 2016.
The boy's remains were never found, according to Nassif.
Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig and on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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