Woman found dead at Dallas sewage plant days after falling through manhole miles away, lawsuit says
A Texas family has filed a lawsuit alleging a woman was found dead in a sewage treatment plant, days after witnesses reported seeing her fall through a manhole.
Teresa Gonzales, 66, fell through a hole in the street in Dallas on Oct. 22, according to a lawsuit obtained by Paste BN. Three days later, she was found dead in a sewage treatment plant more than nine miles away.
“I didn't understand why it happened. I couldn't wrap my head around it I still can’t,” Cynthia Gonzales, daughter of Teresa, told NBC Dallas.
According to the suit, Teresa Gonzales was out on a walk when witnesses, who were not named in the suit, reported seeing a woman falling through a repair hole into a sewage line. Now, her family is looking for answers on how their mother's life could have ended that way and suing the City of Dallas for more than $100 million.
“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,” Gonzales told the outlet.
Harrowing incident described in lawsuit
Gonzales’ attorney Ramez Shamieh told Paste BN that her mother’s autopsy is still pending, but foul play is not suspected.
The lawsuit describes the harrowing way their mother allegedly died. In the suit, the family alleges that Teresa Gonzales was walking along a sidewalk near an “uncovered and extremely dangerous sewer manhole," in the 1600 block of Record Crossing Road in northwest Dallas.
No warnings or barriers were present to prevent accidents or someone falling into the hole, but witnesses saw the incident unfold, the lawsuit says.
“After falling in, witnesses observed Teresa desperately clawing for her life, slowly losing her grip and then falling approximately 30 feet into the abyss of the sewer,” the lawsuit alleges.
She was then found three days later and more than nine miles away at what the lawsuit describes as a "public utility water treatment plant."
The lawsuit also alleges that the City of Dallas has given no updates to the family following the discovery of Teresa’s body.
“Her death was one of the most grotesque and inhumane ways of dying. Instead of performing a thorough search and keeping the family informed of any updates, the City of Dallas chose to cover up the incident hoping that this incident would wash away just like Teresa did,” the lawsuit said.
Shamieh said the area where Teresa Gonzales fell into the sewer looks different now, with cones and pavement in place, which he alleges were not present at the time of her death.
Dallas Police told Paste BN that the incident remains under investigation. The City of Dallas declined Paste BN’s request for comment.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.