Johnson County woman accused of abandoning newborn in 2001 charged with manslaughter

A Johnson County woman faces a second-degree manslaughter charge after DNA linked her to the 2001 death of her newborn daughter, according to a news release.

The Texas Attorney General’s office said in the release that Shelby Stotts 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 failing to seek medical care after giving birth and failing to clamp the umbilical cord, causing the baby girl to bleed to death.

The baby was found on Briaroaks Raod, according to the AG’s office. The girl was referred to by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office as “Angel Baby Doe” since her discovery, with 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, 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 mother.

Investigators believe the infant was alive and breathing when she was born and that Stotts is responsible for abandoning her, according to the news 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 Paxton said in the news 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.”