Parents arrested after 1-year-old found buried in backyard

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE/CNN) - A New Mexico couple is in jail accused of murder in the death of their own 1-year-old child.

Family members described Anastazia Zuber as a joy to be around, constantly smiling and showing off her bright blue eyes.

But her light was dimmed when Albuquerque police found the 1-year-old dead, buried in the family’s backyard.

"It's tough for detectives to go out to a location. Dig a hole find a dead baby in a bag,” said Simon Drobik with the Albuquerque Police Department. “And then have to build a case around it it's horrible. So, I would ask the public to think about that child."

According to court documents, on Dec. 18, David Zuber disclosed to a family member that he drowned the 1-year-old at this apartment in the heights.

The family member told police, prompting a welfare check by officers that same day.

It's unclear what happened during that welfare check, but 15 days later police issued a missing persons bulletin for Anastazia.

Police found the baby's body and have now charged her parents 26-year-old Zuber and 23-year-old Monique Romero with child abuse resulting in death.

The criminal complaint said Romero not only admitted the girl died after she was left unattended in a bathtub but that Zuber said it was "taken care of."

The couple's two other children have been placed in Children, Youth and Families Department custody.

The Albuquerque Police Department says it's opened an internal investigation.

The department aims to determine whether new child abuse case policies and procedures were followed.

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