Where is Alejandra Mendoza now? The true story behind A Child of My Own on Netflix

MAITE Alberdi’s new Netflix documentary A Child of My Own tells the story of one of the most unusual criminal cases in recent Mexican history. It portrays the real life events and actions carried out by Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza, who took desperate measures in order to enact her dream of being a mother. New documentary A Child of My Own is now available on Netflix Credit: ©2025 Netflix, Inc. The film was directed by two-time Oscar nominated documentary filmmaker Maite Alberdi (L) Credit: Netflix How did Alejandra Mendoza end up in jail? In 2008, Mendoza (known as Ale) was 25 years old and facing pressure from her loved ones to become a mother, having just suffered a series of miscarriages. After her third loss, Mendoza was pushed to the limit and decided to fake a pregnancy by deliberately gaining weight, lying to her family and husband, Arturo, for months. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Across this time, she faked medical reports and went on maternity leave after attending an appointment with her husband where a doctor attempted to listen for the heartbeat of the “baby”. When her “due date” came along in June 2009, she was arrested for stealing a newborn baby from a New Mexico hospital in an act of desperation, shocking the entire country. Despite claiming she had permission from the mother of the infant, she and Arturo were ultimately convicted of kidnapping – although the latter claimed to know nothing about the act. Arturo was eventually acquitted following his trial, having already served two years and six months in prison for initially being considered an accomplice to his wife. “I was drawn into problems that got bigger and bigger,” says Ale in the documentary. “And I started making decisions and taking actions which got more complicated, until there was no way out. No turning back.” Most read in The Sun Mendoza faked a pregnancy to her husband and loved ones Credit: Netflix Mendoza and Arturo were ultimately convicted of kidnapping Credit: ©2025 Netflix, Inc. Where is Alejandra Mendoza now? A Child of My Own was released on Netflix on Thursday, August 13 after making its world premiere at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival back in February. The film has a runtime of just over an hour-and-a-half, with the story centring around the real-life crime committed by Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza. Directed by two-time Oscar nominated documentary filmmaker Maite Alberdi, her latest project is staged as a cinematic ‘docudrama’ for the first half of the film, with Ana Celeste portraying Mendoza. It then structurally changes at the halfway mark, with the second half shifting to a more traditional documentary as it shows real life encounters of Mendoza being interviewed in a Mexican jail, whilst also presenting first-hand testimonies and court reports of the case. Upon meeting her, director Alberdi said: “Alejandra wasn’t someone I would have imagined ending up in prison. “I was struck by how extraordinary everything she told me was.” Mendoza had to spend 13 years, three months, and 25 days in jail. In the last few weeks of her sentence she completed the interview which is shown in the film. She was released from prison in 2023, and currently lives as a free woman in Mexico. She said: “During my thirteen years in prison, I have focused on accepting not being a mum.” “Before, I think my desire to be a mum was more about pleasing others. What else is out there beyond being a mum? “But I finally realised there’s so much more to live for.” The documentary shows that Mendoza and her husband Arturo reconciled and are now back together, after initially separating while she was serving time. Comment now