Woman indicted decades after newborn found dead: Texas Attorney General

JOHNSON COUNTY, Texas ( WJW ) – More than 20 years after a newborn baby girl was found dead on the side of a road in Texas , authorities say, a woman, identified as the child’s mother, has been indicted for 2nd-degree manslaughter.

According to a press release from the Texas Attorney General, Shelby Stotts is accused of recklessly causing the death of her newborn daughter by leaving the baby unattended on the side of the road, not seeking medical care after giving birth, and not clamping the baby’s umbilical cord which caused the child to bleed to death.

It was in November 2001, that the body of the infant was discovered in a ditch with the umbilical cord still attached. According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office , a local resident was picking up cans when he found the dead infant wrapped in a jacket.

Officials with the Johnson County Sheriff’s office said they worked “tirelessly” to identify the child but for years the case went unsolved. The infant became known as “Angel Baby Doe.”

Then in 2021, advanced DNA testing helped provide new leads in the case and pointed investigators to potential relatives of the infant.

According to officials , Stotts will be prosecuted under the laws that were in effect at the time of the offense.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.