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A woman from Mexico was sentenced to prison after giving birth to her newborn daughter in a Texas gas station bathroom and abandoning the deceased infant’s body in the toilet last year.
Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez, 27, received a four-year prison sentence after entering guilty pleas for tampering with physical evidence and tampering with a human corpse. The court credited her with 489 days of time already served.
SENTENCED: Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez, 27, was sentenced to four years behind bars after being convicted of leaving her dead baby girl in a toilet at a Texas gas station. https://t.co/xrtX1wOhJO pic.twitter.com/hYQQYHcnv4
— News 4 San Antonio (@News4SA) December 19, 2024
The tragic incident came to light when a customer discovered the infant’s body in a Shell gas station bathroom in southwest Houston on April 2, 2023. Emergency responders who arrived at the scene determined the newborn girl had been deceased for several hours.
The Houston Police Department released surveillance footage in July 2023 showing the suspect entering the establishment at approximately 4:25 a.m. A homicide detective noted that the woman remained inside for roughly 15 minutes, during which time investigators believe she delivered the baby in the restroom.
Law enforcement caught a break in the case when Zavala Lopez, identified as a Mexican national, was apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Brownsville, Texas, near the Mexican border.
“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,” the Houston Police Department stated.
NEW: Migrant sentenced to four years in jail after giving birth in a gas station before allegedly trying to flush the newborn down the toilet.
Horrific.
Mexican migrant Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez claimed she didn't even know she was pregnant until the night she showed up at… pic.twitter.com/JB4vOqMjX2
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 17, 2024
According to local news station KHOU-TV, Zavala Lopez confessed to investigators that she gave birth in the toilet but made no attempt to rescue the baby from the water, check for vital signs, or perform life-saving measures.
The report further revealed that Zavala Lopez attempted to conceal evidence by cleaning blood from her legs and shoes, and used a mop she found outside the bathroom to clean the area before departing. She then used clothing from her vehicle to cover her car seat before driving home.
Authorities have not disclosed the official cause of death for the newborn.
