Documentary 'Un hijo propio' Revisits 2009 Baby Theft Case

The documentary 'Un hijo propio', directed by Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi, reconstructs the 2009 case of Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza, who faked a pregnancy and stole a newborn from the Hospital General de México in Mexico City. The film premieres in select Mexican theaters on July 30, 2026 and on Netflix on August 13, 2026 Source: excelsiormx; infobae.

The Case

On June 17, 2009, Marín Mendoza, a 26-year-old administrative employee at the hospital who had suffered three miscarriages, entered the maternity ward, took one-day-old Katia Valentina, and left the hospital with the baby hidden in a paper bag. Security cameras captured the act Source: infobae. Hours later, she and her husband Arturo Calderón Gamiño were arrested at a hotel; the infant was recovered unharmed Source: excelsiormx.

The Documentary

Alberdi discovered the story while visiting the Santa Martha Acatitla prison and hearing the protagonist's account. The film combines interviews with real participants and dramatized recreations starring Ana Celeste Montalvo Peña and Armando Espitia Source: excelsiormx; infobae. It explores themes of societal pressure on women to become mothers, the trauma of pregnancy loss, and media sensationalism Source: infobae.

Production and Release

Produced by Gato Grande with a screenplay by Julián Loyola and Esteban Student, 'Un hijo propio' is Alberdi's first documentary filmed in Mexico Source: excelsiormx. The film will be available globally on Netflix after its theatrical run Source: infobae.