In a shocking turn of events, the mother of a newborn baby who was abandoned in a ditch in Texas in 2001 has been indicted for second-degree manslaughter, as announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on July 1.
Shelby Stotts, 48, has been charged by Mr. Paxton and the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Missing Persons and Cold Case Unit for the death of her newborn daughter. It is alleged that Ms. Stotts left her newborn on the side of the road in November 2001 with the umbilical cord still attached, leading to the tragic death of the baby.
The authorities claim that evidence suggests the abandoned baby was alive and breathing at the time of her birth. Ms. Stotts is accused of recklessly causing the baby’s death by abandoning her and failing to seek medical care after giving birth, which could have saved the baby’s life.
Named Angel Baby Doe by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the newborn’s case was investigated for years with many persons of interest considered.
Following a request for assistance from the sheriff’s office in June 2022, the OAG’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit stepped in. DNA samples taken in September 2023 from Ms. Stotts and Angel Baby Doe confirmed her as the biological mother.
Mr. Stotts will face prosecution under the laws applicable at the time of the offense. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton expressed gratitude for the investigators’ dedication and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office’s commitment to uncovering the truth.
Ms. Stotts has been arrested and booked into Johnson County jail with bail set at $100,000. Notably, Texas was the first state to enact the Safe Haven Law in 1999, allowing parents to leave infants up to 60 days old at designated safe locations if they are unable to care for the child.
These safe haven laws, known as Baby Moses Laws, have been adopted by multiple states to combat infant abandonment or infanticide, providing a way for parents to surrender their baby at safe locations without facing prosecution for abandonment or neglect.
