A Texas woman has been charged more than twenty years after her newborn baby was discovered dead and abandoned on the side of a road, officials announced Tuesday.
Shelby Stotts faces a second-degree manslaughter indictment following advancements in DNA technology that identified her as the child’s mother in this long-standing cold case.
“After more than two decades, we are closer to achieving justice for Angel Baby Doe and ensuring accountability for the person responsible for this tragedy,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement. “I commend the dedication of our investigators and law enforcement professionals at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office for their perseverance in uncovering the truth.”
Stotts, aged 48, allegedly abandoned the baby girl, known as “Angel Baby Doe,” in November 2001, according to Paxton’s news release. Authorities claim she neglected to promptly seek medical attention after childbirth and failed to properly handle the umbilical cord, resulting in the child’s death from bleeding.
The lifeless newborn was discovered wrapped in a jacket along a roadside between Alvarado and Burleson, approximately 20 miles south of Fort Worth, with the umbilical cord still attached. Due to the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death, detectives concluded foul play was involved, stated the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
In June 2021, investigators utilized forensic-grade genome sequencing provided by Othram, a DNA lab located in The Woodlands near Houston, to crack the case. A genealogy team successfully traced familial connections, ultimately identifying Stotts as the mother. This case represents the fifteenth cold case in Texas to be solved using Othram’s DNA technology.
Texas’ “Safe Haven Law,” established in 1999, permits parents to leave unwanted infants at fire stations and hospitals for up to 60 days without facing inquiries.
Stotts is currently held on a $100,000 bond.
