The mother of a newborn baby who was abandoned in a ditch in Texas in 2001 has been indicted for second-degree manslaughter, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on July 1.
Mr. Paxton and the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Missing Persons and Cold Case Unit secured the indictment of Shelby Stotts, 48, in the death of her newborn daughter.
Authorities allege Ms. Stotts left her newborn on the side of the road in November 2001 with the umbilical cord still attached and the baby bled to death.
Evidence suggested the abandoned baby was alive and breathing at the time of her birth.
Ms. Stotts recklessly caused the baby’s death as she abandoned her and failed to seek medical care after she gave birth which would have led to the clamping of the umbilical cord, according to the OAG.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office named the newborn Angel Baby Doe, and they investigated many persons of interest over the years.
The sheriff’s office requested assistance in June 2022 from the OAG’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit.
In September 2023, DNA samples were taken from Ms. Stotts and Angel Baby Doe that indicated she was the biological mother.
Ms. Stotts will be prosecuted under the laws that were in effect at the time of the offense.
“After more than twenty years, we are closer to securing justice for Angel Baby Doe and ensuring that the person responsible for this tragedy is held accountable,” said Mr. Paxton in a press 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,” Mr. Paxton said.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Stotts was arrested and booked into Johnson County jail, and records show her bail was set at $100,000.
Texas became the first state to enact the Safe Haven Law in 1999, which allows parents to leave an infant up to 60 days old at a designated safe location if they are unable to care for the child. Those locations include hospitals, fire stations, EMS stations, and emergency rooms.
These safe haven laws, also referred to as Baby Moses Laws, have been enacted in many states to address infant abandonment or infanticide. The laws allow a parent or agent of the parent to remain anonymous and shielded from prosecution for abandonment or neglect for surrendering the baby to a designated safe location.
