Angel Martinez Marinero was found in a La Vista dumpster last May and was the only survivor after his half-brother, Roberto Martinez Marinero killed their mother, Ismenia Marinero and dumped her body in a field in South Omaha. He later threw his 4-year-old half brother into the Elkhorn River.
Angel’s caregiver says he often calls out for his mom, too little to understand what happened to his brother and mother nearly a year ago.
La Vista Police Chief, Bob Lausten recalls the day the La Vista Police department rescued Angel from the dumpster as if it were yesterday.
“I will always remember getting that call a little after six o’clock that day when we found out there had been a baby found wearing only a diaper in a dumpster,” says Lausten.
Angel spent fourteen hours in a dumpster before residents realized he was in there.
“One guy was going to dump his trash when he opened the lid and heard a noise. He had thrown his trash in and when he looked down, he saw Angel in the corner wearing nothing but a diaper. He called for a help, and a nurse and her daughter nearby responded to the scene,” says Lausten.
Lausten says the trash was going to be collected the next morning, which could have crushed Angel when the trash was picked up and composted.
According to Lausten, the entire department recalls that day and have all been impacted by Angel.
"It has stayed with the officers. At Christmas time they put some money together and went down and bought Angel some Christmas presents and we stayed in touch with the family. It's nice to be able to help the survivors get through it because this is just something unimaginable what these people went through,” says Lausten.
