A North Texas woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday for the 2001 death of her newborn daughter, whose body was found abandoned in a roadside ditch and whose case remained unsolved for more than two decades until DNA evidence led to an arrest.
Jurors in Johnson County’s County Court at Law No. 1 deliberated for about two hours before handing down the maximum sentence to 50-year-old Shelby Ann Stotts of Covington, who pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.
They chose prison over probation in the case, rejecting defense arguments for leniency based on extenuating circumstances.
The infant, dubbed Angel Baby Doe by then-Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford, was discovered on November 18, 2001, loosely wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh jacket with her umbilical cord still attached. Deputies responded to the 400 block of South Briaroaks Road, between Alvarado and Burleson, after local resident Johnny Riddell found the body while out for a walk that morning.
Riddell testified that the road was remote and often used for dumping trash. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the baby, born alive likely outside a medical facility, bled to death from the unclamped umbilical cord after being left unattended without prompt care.
Community members and sheriff’s officials raised funds for a funeral attended by more than 200 people, and buried the child in Cleburne’s Rosehill Cemetery with a gravestone. Riddell said he and his wife have visited the grave annually since, placing a Christmas tree there to remember her.
The case lingered unsolved, pursued by the sheriff’s cold-case squad and later by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
A breakthrough came in 2024 when DNA from the jacket, analyzed through forensic genetic genealogy by Othram scientists, identified Stotts as the mother. She was arrested in July 2024 and indicted for recklessly causing the death of the child by abandoning her on the roadside.
Stotts did not testify, but jurors heard two recorded interviews with investigators. In them, she was at times evasive, saying she did not know the father’s identity, told no one about the pregnancy, borrowed a truck from a friend to drive to the site, gave birth there, and never mentioned it afterward. She described “partying” heavily then, being estranged from family, and not wanting a child.
Stotts had a daughter about a year before the incident and two more afterward. She married in 2008, and her husband testified he adopted and raised the older two, now in their 20s, as his own.
Neither he nor the daughters knew of Angel Baby Doe until the arrest.
Family and friends described Stotts’ later life: attending church, working with children at a Grandview daycare, and teaching at a Cleburne ISD until her arrest. Her husband and two daughters spoke of her devotion through their upbringing, including softball and school events. They warned that a prison term would devastate them, particularly the youngest, who is disabled and dependent on her.
Prosecutors Johnson County District Attorney Tim Good and Texas Attorney General Assistant Attorney Deanna Franzen acknowledged her turnaround but highlighted a lack of remorse. Good argued Stotts could have given the baby to relatives or used safe surrender options instead of abandonment.
The Texas Safe Haven law, enacted in 1999, allows parents to anonymously surrender unharmed infants at hospitals, fire stations, or emergency medical services facilities without fear of legal consequences.
“The sheriff’s office and the community, not Stotts, gave Angel Baby Doe a name, took her on as their own and never forgot her,” Good said, the Cleburne Times-Review reported.
He praised investigators, especially retired Detective Steve Shaw, for their persistent efforts, including witness interviews, crowdfunding for DNA testing, and involvement of the attorney general’s office.
“Shaw’s very humble and will never take credit,” Good said. “But it was his dogged determination of never giving up, talking to countless witnesses, leading crowd-sourced funds for more DNA testing, and getting the AG’s office involved. They ultimately solved the case and made the arrest. But, if it wasn’t for Detective Shaw, we wouldn’t be here today.”
In closing, Franzen contrasted typical maternal joy with the infant’s fate.
“Every breath Angel Baby Doe took in her short life was wracked with pain, and the only eyes she ever looked into were the eyes of her killer,” she said, per the Times -Review.
“She was haphazardly wrapped in a jacket and never cradled. Her life was nothing but pain, and there has to be an answer to that.”
Franzen noted Stotts showed no grief during the trial.
“Have you seen any grief from the defendant during this trial?” she asked jurors. “Not even a single tear could be mustered on her part. The only grieving was how it would affect her life.”
“[Stotts’ attorney] spoke of forgiveness from God and so deserving leniency, but there’s been no attempt by her at confessing her crime,” Franzen said. “She’s shown no remorse. Does she feel bad now for what she’s done, or because she’s been backed into a corner? She made the decision that affected her family 24 years ago.”
Franzen urged jurors to deliver justice.
“This isn’t a complicated case,” she told them. “Baby Angel Doe has been waiting 24 years for justice. Twenty-four years ago, her mom decided her life was worth nothing. Now it’s your turn to tell us if you agree.”
After the verdict, jurors asked for the grave’s location and made several planning visits. Alford, cold case members, and other officers attended the three-day trial.
DNA also identified Gabino Moreno as the father. Though he dated Stotts at the time, he was unaware of the pregnancy or child until 2024.
In a tearful statement read post-verdict, Moreno mourned missed milestones like birthdays and Christmases, noting his other children lost a sister. He named her Taryn Angel Moreno, saying he believes she is in heaven with his grandmother and that he will meet her someday.
The attorney general’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit, established in 2021, has assisted with the case since June 2022.
“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 July 2024 statement after Stotts’ indictment.
“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.”
Othram’s work was funded through DNASolves crowdfunding, with evidence submitted in June 2021, leading to the genealogical research that broke the case.
