A Texas woman has been charged more than two decades after a newborn baby was found abandoned and dead on the side of the road, authorities announced Tuesday.
Shelby Stotts was charged with second-degree manslaughter after being identified as the child’s mother through DNA enhancement technology in the cold case.
“More than two decades later, we are closer to achieving justice for Angel Baby Doe and holding those responsible for this tragedy accountable,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “I thank our investigators for their talent and tenacity and commend the law enforcement officers of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office for their dedication to uncovering the truth.”
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Shelby Stotts is accused of abandoning a newborn baby girl on the side of a Texas road more than 20 years ago. (Johnson County Sheriff’s Office)
Ken Paxton said in a news release that Stotts, 48, abandoned the baby girl, known as “Angel Baby Doe,” in November 2001. Stotts did not seek “prompt medical attention” after the birth and did not clamp the baby’s umbilical cord, causing the baby to die from hemorrhagic shock, authorities said.
The lifeless newborn was found wrapped in a jacket with its umbilical cord still attached on the side of the road between the towns of Alvarado and Burleson, 20 miles south of Fort Worth.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court on November 1, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Drew Ungerer/Getty Images)
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said the circumstances surrounding the child’s death led detectives to determine the cause of death was foul play.
In June 2021, the sheriff’s office hired forensic-grade genomic sequencing from Osram, a DNA lab based in The Woodlands, a Houston suburb, that uses genetic science to help law enforcement tackle cold cases.
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A genealogy team traced the child’s family connections and ultimately identified Stotts as the child’s mother.
Johnson County Sheriff’s Office patrol car. (Johnson County Sheriff’s Office)
This case marks the 15th cold case in Texas to be solved thanks to Otram’s DNA technology. Texas’ “Safe Haven” law, enacted in 1999, allows parents to leave their unwanted children at a fire station or hospital for up to 60 days, no questions asked.
Stotts is being held on $100,000 bail.
