Mom left newborn on side of road to die 20 years ago, officials say. Now she’s charged
A Texas woman faces a second-degree manslaughter charge after DNA linked her to the 2001 death of her newborn daughter. The mother was arrested this week, more than 20 years after she left the baby on the side of a road to die, authorities say.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office said in a news release that Shelby Stotts, 48, is responsible for the death of the baby, who bled out after she was dumped in a ditch between Alvarado and Burleson.
Stotts is accused of leaving her newborn daughter there after she failed to seek medical care while giving birth. The mother also failed to clamp the umbilical cord, causing the baby girl to bleed to death, authorities said.
A man picking up cans along Briaroaks Road found the lifeless baby in Johnson County, about 20 miles south of Fort Worth, in November 2001. The newborn girl was loosely wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh jacket.
The girl was referred to by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office as “Angel Baby Doe” since her discovery. Detectives investigating multiple persons of interest in the years since as they tried to determine her identity.
The Sheriff’s Office requested help from the AG’s Missing Persons and Cold Case Unit in June 2022, hoping to get assistance investigating new leads in the unsolved case, according to the news release. They worked together and in September 2023 were able to use DNA samples taken from Stotts and the infant to identify Stotts as the biological mom.
The DNA evidence was analyzed by Othram, a Houston-based company that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy to solve cold cases, according to DNASolves, which crowdfunded money to cover the expenses.
Investigators believe the infant was alive and breathing when she was born and that Stotts is responsible for abandoning her, according to the release. The case will be handled by the AG’s Criminal Prosecutions Division in Johnson County, and Stotts will be prosecuted under the laws as they were at the time of the offense.
“After more than 20 years, we are closer to securing justice for Angel Baby Doe and ensuring that the person responsible for this tragedy is held accountable,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the release. “I am thankful for our investigators’ talent and tenacity, and I commend the law enforcement professionals with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office for their dedication to uncovering the truth.”
Stotts is scheduled to be arraigned on July 23, according to court records.
This story was originally published July 1, 2024 at 8:58 PM.