Mom of ‘Angel Baby Doe’ found dead in Texas cow pasture 20 years ago is arrested
A Texas high school staffer has been arrested after DNA tests showed she was the mother of “Angel Baby Doe,” a newborn left to bleed to death in a cow pasture more than 20 years ago, authorities said.
Shelby Stotts, 48, was arrested on a second-degree manslaughter charge on Tuesday after DNA testing finally confirmed she is the baby’s biological mom, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
The infant, long dubbed “Angel Baby Doe,” was found on the side of a road near Fort Worth in November 2001 with the umbilical cord still attached.
Investigators said evidence had later determined that the baby was still alive — and bled to death because her umbilical cord hadn’t been clamped.
Stott’s DNA was only linked to the crime last September, court papers charge.
It wasn’t immediately clear, though, how authorities pinned her as a person of interest in the decades-old case.
Prosecutors said she “recklessly caused the death of her newborn daughter by leaving the baby unattended on the side of the road, failing to seek prompt medical care after giving birth, and failing to clamp the baby’s umbilical cord which caused the child to bleed to death.”
Stotts had worked as a paraprofessional at Cleburne High School, FOX 4 reported.
Tthe Cleburne Independent School District said it was “aware of the arrest and grand jury indictment of Shelby Stotts. Cleburne ISD takes these allegations very seriously. Shelby Stotts is no longer employed by Cleburne ISD.”
It wasn’t immediately clear when Stotts left her role, or if she was fired.
“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,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement.
“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.”
