HOUSTON, TEXAS: In a tragic and harrowing turn of events, a newborn baby girl was found dead inside a gas station toilet earlier this year, leading to the arrest of a Mexican national who is now accused of one felony count of tampering with evidence – a human corpse, according to the Houston Police Department.
The gravity of the situation has left the community in shock, and authorities are actively considering additional charges as they investigate the circumstances surrounding this deeply distressing case.
Who is Guadalupe Zavala Lopez?
Federal agents from the US Customs and Border Protection arrested 25-year-old Guadalupe Zavala Lopez on Tuesday, August 1, at a bus station in Brownsville, the largest city in the US portion of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, as she was attempting to flee to Mexico. Described as a Mexican national who had "overstayed" her visitor visa, Zavala Lopez was identified as a "homicide suspect" by federal authorities, although no homicide charges have been filed in Houston at the time of this report.
"We are actively collaborating with other federal agencies and the Houston, Texas Police Department to have the suspect extradited to Harris County in connection to an ongoing homicide investigation," stated a press release issued by the US Customs and Border Protection. A spokesperson for the HPD told Law&Crime, "We still have to speak with her," emphasizing that the investigation is still ongoing. "Beyond that, it depends on the rest of the investigation."
Grim discovery at a gas station
The incident that led to Zavala Lopez's arrest took place on April 2 at a Shell station in southwest Houston. A customer using the restroom made the grim discovery of the deceased newborn baby girl inside the toilet. Authorities from the Houston Fire Department, upon arriving at the scene, determined that the child had been dead for over an hour before being found.
In a public appeal for help with the investigation, the Houston Police Department posted footage on YouTube showing a "person of interest" – believed to be the infant's mother – entering and leaving the Shell station in a white Cadillac. The woman was observed on surveillance cameras entering the store, spending approximately 15 minutes inside, and then leaving the gas station. "No one else went inside that bathroom, and [the newborn] was not there when she walked in before. It appears that she gave birth in the restroom," clarified HPD Homicide Detective Calab Bowling during a press conference while discussing the surveillance footage.
Cause of death & extradition
Authorities are still waiting for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences to provide the final determination regarding the cause of the baby's death. “Agents are actively collaborating with other federal agencies and the Houston, Texas Police Department to have the suspect extradited to Harris County in connection to an ongoing homicide investigation,” the federal press release stated. Following her arrest, Zavala Lopez was not immediately booked into the Harris County Jail. The process of extradition to Harris County for further investigation in connection with the ongoing homicide case is underway. "We have no information on extradition for Ms. Lopez," Harris County Sheriff's Office told Law&Crime on Tuesday, August 1.
The Houston Police Department has indicated that they will release Zavala Lopez's booking photo and any potential additional charges on social media to keep the public informed.
As the community grapples with the heartrending loss of a young life, authorities are urging anyone with information related to the case to come forward and assist in shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the baby's tragic death. The investigation is still ongoing.