HOUSTON – Authorities have arrested a woman who Houston police believe gave birth in a gas station bathroom and left the baby to die.
Police said Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez, 25, was arrested by Customs and Border Protection agents on Tuesday in Brownsville, located in the Rio Grande Valley.
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She has been charged with tampering with evidence-human corpse, a felony, and will be extradited to Harris County.
UPDATE: Our partners at @CBPRGV arrested Diana Guadalupe Zavala Lopez, 25, on Tuesday (Aug. 1) in Brownsville, TX.
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) August 2, 2023
Zavala Lopez is charged with felony tampering with evidence - human corpse and will be extradited to Harris County.
The investigation is continuing.#HouNews https://t.co/J8rI4mH9Cd
Lopez is the subject of an investigation after the body of the female infant was found on April 2 at a store on South Post Oak Road in Houston.
Police released surveillance footage of the woman, later identified as Lopez, entering the gas station bathroom and leaving about 15 minutes later. She drove off in a white Cadillac, police said.
Hours later, a customer went to use the bathroom and found the infant, police said.
Paramedics arrived and determined the baby had been dead for hours. Her name and cause of death have not been released as of Monday.
Police said Lopez is believed to be the mother of the baby.
Police told KPRC, KSAT’s sister station in Houston, on Monday that it is unclear if the woman had a miscarriage.
The investigation is ongoing.