A reported Mexican national allegedly gave birth to her newborn daughter in a gas station toilet in Texas last year and pleaded guilty to several damning charges related to ditching the dead body of her baby girl.
Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez, 27, previously pleaded guilty to a charge of tampering/fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impede an investigation as well as a count of tampering with evidence — human corpse, court records stated.
The woman seen on the video was in the gas station for approximately 15 minutes before she left, and it appeared that ‘she gave birth in the restroom.’
On Monday, Harris County District Judge Kristin M. Guiney sentenced Lopez to serve four years in a state correctional facility. Lopez was credited with 489 days of prison time already served.
A customer reportedly used the restroom at a Shell gas station in southwest Houston on April 2, 2023, found the infant, and called 911, the National Desk reported. Paramedics determined the newborn girl had been dead for several hours by the time they arrived. Authorities have not revealed the newborn’s cause of death.
In July 2023, the Houston Police Department released surveillance video to the public of the suspect entering the gas station around 4:25 a.m. on April 2.
“Surveillance video of the person of interest, believed to be the infant’s mother, and an unknown white Cadillac vehicle is attached to this news release,” the Houston Police Department said in the video’s description.
A Houston Police Department homicide detective said the woman seen on the video was in the gas station for approximately 15 minutes before she left, and it appeared that “she gave birth in the restroom.”
Border Patrol agents in Brownsville near the border of Texas and Mexico apprehended Zavala Lopez — a reported Mexican national.
The Houston Police Department said in a statement: “Tips from the public helped investigators identify the female as Zavala Lopez. Members of HPD’s South Gessner Crime Suppression Team learned she was attempting to flee the country, and on Tuesday (Aug. 1), agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained her in Brownsville, Texas.”
According to KHOU-TV, Zavala Lopez allegedly admitted to investigators that she gave birth in the toilet and didn’t try to pull the baby girl out of the water, check for signs of life, or perform CPR.
The news outlet added, “Zavala Lopez said she tried to wipe the blood off her legs and shoes and found a mop outside the restroom and tried to clean it before leaving. She found an article of clothing in her car and put it on the driver’s seat before driving home.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Houston crime, Texas crime, Crime, Mexican national, Mother, Baby born in gas station toilet, Border patrol, Arrest, Jail sentence, Dead infant
