A Texas woman who is said to have fallen through a hole in the street was found dead three days later in a sewage treatment plant.
According to Cynthia Gonzales, the daughter of 66-year-old Teresa Gonzales, her mom had been out walking at Riverside Drive in Dallas, Texas on October 22 when witnesses reported seeing a woman fall through a repair site in the street.
The site was connected to a sewage line, with Cynthia's lawyer, Ramez Shamieh, commenting: “If it’s as deep as we’re assuming, it was deep."
The incident took place between 7.00am and 9.00am local time, but it wasn't until three days later, on October 25, that Teresa's body was discovered more than nine miles away at the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeast Dallas.
Her family are now searching for answers as to exactly how such a scenario could happen.
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Per NBC News, Cynthia said: “I didn’t understand why it happened. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I still can’t...
"That’s nothing that any family should go through to learn that your mom fell and then is nine-and-a-half miles away from where she fell."
Dallas police are investigating the case as an 'unexplained death', and Shamieh has said foul play is not suspected in this case.
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Instead, the lawyer said: “We believe one of the main reasons is unreasonably dangerous conditions at the site and that’s why she fell in."
The lawyer has expressed plans to file a lawsuit in the case, but he said he is waiting on a public records request to collect more information. He has also collected a photograph of the scene of the accident, which he claimed showed gaps in the metal over the manhole.
Cynthia said her mom didn't drive, and instead either walked or took the bus to get around.
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In a statement to People, a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department said: "On October 25, 2024, at about 9:40 a.m., Dallas Police responded to a call for service in the 1000 block of Sargent Road.
"The preliminary investigation determined that officers were called after a body had been discovered at the location. The individual was later identified as 66-year-old Teresa Gonzales. This is being investigated as an unexplained death, documented under case number 162007-2024."
Cynthia has now paid tribute to her mom, telling NBC: “She had a kind heart, couldn’t tell no to nobody."
The area where Cynthia is believed to have fallen through the street looks different now than it did at the time, but the tragedy continues to stay with the family.
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“Nobody should have to feel that,” Cynthia said.
UNILAD has reached out to the City of Dallas and Dallas Police Department for comment.
Emily Brown