SAN ANTONIO – A 15-year-old girl with autism was allegedly abandoned and left near garbage dumpsters by her mother in June.
Now, the girl’s mother, Natalie Rose Munno, 38, is believed to be responsible and has been arrested.
“It breaks my heart because I can’t imagine ever doing that to my child, and I can’t imagine what her child was going through in those moments,” said Victor Rubio, who has two children with special needs.
Victor and his wife said they have not been the same since hearing the news. For them, it hits close to home.
Their six-year-old son Victor Jr. is autistic, and their three-year-old Isaiah has sensory processing disorder.
Rubio has this message to Munno.
“God loves her daughter; I would have stressed to her that god loves her, and I would have stressed to her that there are resources out there to help,” Rubio said.
The Rubios understand how challenging it is for parents with special needs, which is why they rely on the nonprofit Respite Care regularly.
The organization helps families who have special needs children.
“Children with special needs are four times more likely than their neurotypical counterparts to end up in a system of care like the foster care system,” said Rebecca Helterbrand, CEO of Respite Care
The nonprofit’s CEO, Rebecca Helterbrand, says she does not excuse Munno’s actions but that she can imagine she was stressed. Helterbrand believes their resources could have led to a different outcome.
“We have something called community respite where you can participate in mothers days out every Monday, Wednesday; parents night out every Friday, family day out every Saturday, or when school is not in session, a full week at a time camps that are offered for full days,” Helterbrand said.
She adds the group provides children with fun and educational experiences while giving parents a moment to themselves. Respite also has various other resources at little to no cost.
For Rubio, he is grateful for the help and his family.