A mom from New Mexico was abused to the point where she was unable to contact authorities on her own — and resorted to passing on a plea for help to her children’s bus driver before they jumped on the school bus.
It all began last Thursday when an unamed woman police informed police that her boyfriend, Erik Alvarado, 40, strangled her while using a pillowcase and a shirt in an attempt to suffocate her.
According to police, it happened during a “night-long domestic altercation.”
The reported abuse took place at the couple’s home in Las Cruces and lasted for hours.
Police stated how the couple’s toddler and two school-age children witnessed the violence and at one point, Alvarado even threatened to kill the mother.
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To make matters worse — Alvarado took her cellphone and made her stay by his side. Police say she had no way of calling 911 or contacting authorities on her own.
And so she came up with a plan to pass a secret note to her children’s bus driver in an attempt to get help.
On Friday morning, she quietly passed the note to her two older children with explicit directions.
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The kids then gave the note to their bus driver and made sure that the driver read it. Minutes later, they did as their mother said, and the “attentive” bus driver on their route called 911 soon after reading it.
Las Cruces police officers rushed to the home, where they found the mother inside. She had visible cuts, bruises, and abrasions all over her body, but she was alive.
As she was taken into safety — Alvarado was taken into custody, where he was charged with three felony counts of aggravated battery and misdemeanor charges of battery and deprivation of property, according to KRQE.