Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Paxton’s Cold Case and Miss­ing Per­sons Unit Secures Indict­ment Against Moth­er of New­born Baby Aban­doned 23 Years Ago

JOHNSON COUNTY – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Office of the Attorney General’s (“OAG”) Missing Persons and Cold Case Unit have secured the indictment of Shelby Stotts for 2nd-degree manslaughter.

According to the indictment, in November 2001, Stotts 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. The abandoned baby was found off Briaroaks Road in a ditch between the towns of Alvarado and Burleson with the umbilical cord still attached. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has referred to the baby as “Angel Baby Doe” since her discovery and has investigated multiple persons of interest over the years to determine her identity.

In June 2022, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit to help investigate new leads. Since that time, the Unit has worked in conjunction with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on the case. In September 2023, DNA samples taken from Shelby Stotts and Angel Baby Doe indicated that Stotts was the biological mother. Additional evidence suggests that the child was alive and breathing at the time of her birth and that Stotts is responsible for abandoning the child. The OAG’s Criminal Prosecutions Division will handle the case in Johnson County. As is common in cold cases, 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 Attorney General Paxton. “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.”

Attorney General Paxton established the Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit in 2021 to assist local law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting unsolved cases. For more information about the unit, visit https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/criminal-justice/cold-case-and-missing-persons-unit.