A Dallas woman’s daughter is seeking answers regarding her mother’s tragic death after falling into a sewer system.
On October 25, the remains of 66-year-old Teresa Gonzales were found approximately nine and a half miles from the location where she fell through an open manhole cover on October 22, as reported by her daughter, Cynthia Gonzales, and attorney Ramez Shamieh.
Cynthia and Shamieh held a live news conference on Instagram, where she emotionally expressed her desire for justice for her mother.
“It just hurts because nobody should have to go through that, nobody,” Cynthia said in the video posted Wednesday, Dec. 11. “I don’t care who you are, nobody should have to feel that … not that kind of tragedy.”
Shamieh informed NBC DFW that Teresa was strolling in the 1600 block of Record Crossing Road when she accidentally stepped over an open manhole in a construction area and fell into the city sewer system.
The lawyer stated that her remains were found three days later, over nine miles away at the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeast Dallas, according to NBC DFW.
WFAA-TV reported that the Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Teresa’s body was found at a city wastewater treatment plant.
Shamieh announced his intention to file a lawsuit, pending the completion of a public records request for additional information. A photograph taken a week after the accident was presented, allegedly revealing gaps in the metal covering the manhole.
WFAA-TV and NBC DFW report that the autopsy results are still awaited.
According to WFAA-TV, the City of Dallas chose not to comment on the situation, but noted that the Dallas Police Department verified that officers were present when Teresa’s body was found and stated that the case is being treated as a “unexplained death.”