Houston woman sentenced in death of baby girl left in gas station toilet
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A 27-year-old woman has been sentenced to four years in prison after leaving her dead newborn in a gas station restroom.
Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence - human corpse, in connection with the April 2, 2023, death at a Houston gas station on 13114 South Post Oak.
Surveillance footage showed Zavala Lopez entering the gas station restroom, where she gave birth and left the deceased infant. The baby was discovered hours later by a customer.
RELATED: Houston woman charged for death of baby girl found in gas station bathroom
Lopez told investigators she did not know she was pregnant and stopped at the gas station to go to the restroom after feeling pain leaving a party.
Houston woman arrested for death of baby
EDITORS NOTE: This video is from a previous report on Aug. 3, 2023. An arrest was made in connection with the death of a baby found at a gas station on South Post Oak back in April. 25-year-old Diana Zavala Lopez was taken into custody in Brownsville. She is believed to be the baby's mother.
The woman later told authorities she felt the baby come out and turned around to see the infant face down in the toilet. Investigators believed Lopez attempted to flush the baby down the toilet before abandoning her.
Lopez cleaned herself of blood and used a mop from outside to attempt to clean the restroom.
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Court records say she never attempted to check the infant for signs of life, attempted CPR, or pull the baby from the toilet. The then-25-year-old left the gas station and drove home.
Zavala Lopez was arrested in August 2023 and has now been sentenced by Harris County District Judge Kristin M. Guiney.
The Source: Previous FOX 26 reports and Harris County court records.