Dallas woman who fell into sewage system found dead miles away, family says

DALLAS — A Dallas woman wants answers about the horrific way she says her mother died.

Teresa Gonzales, 66, was discovered in a sewage treatment plant in Dallas days after she was last seen. Her family said she fell through a hole in a street in northwest Dallas.

Teresa Gonzales, 66.NBC Dallas-Fort Worth

“I didn’t understand why it happened. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I still can’t,” daughter Cynthia Gonzales said.

Cynthia Gonzales and her attorney Ramez Shamieh said it happened in the 1600 block of Record Crossing Road at Riverside Drive between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Oct. 22.

They said Teresa Gonzales was out walking when witnesses reported seeing a woman fall through a repair site into a sewage line.

“If it’s as deep as we’re assuming, it was deep,” Shamieh said.

Her body was discovered three days later, more than nine miles away at the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeast Dallas.

“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 said.

The family wants answers like how something like this could happen.

“We believe one of the main reasons is unreasonably dangerous conditions at the site and that’s why she fell in,” Shamieh said.

Gonzales’ autopsy is still pending, but Shamieh said foul play isn’t suspected.

Dallas police said the case is being investigated as an “unexplained death.”

In an email, the City of Dallas said it could not comment at this time.

“She had a kind heart, couldn’t tell no to nobody,” Gonzales said of her mother.

Cynthia Gonzales said her mom didn’t drive and either took the bus or walked to get around.

The spot where they said Teresa Gonzales fell looks different than it did weeks ago, but her family will live with the tragedy that happened there forever.

“Nobody should have to feel that,” the woman's daughter said.