Medina County woman gets 18 years in prison in connection to baby daughter’s death

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — More than 20 years after a newborn baby was found dead in Medina County, justice has arrived.

‘Baby Hope Medina’ was found dead and abandoned on a county road on September 20, 2004.

In a Monday release, the Medina County Sheriff’s Office says Maricela Frausto was sentenced to 18 years in prison as part of a plea agreement. This comes after she was arrested and charged with capital murder in November 2023.

Frausto was the baby’s mother.

“The day Baby Hope was found, she became a part of us, a reminder of our duty to stand for the innocent and the voiceless. For 20 years, investigators have carried the weight of that promise. Today, with this conviction, that promise is fulfilled. While no sentence can undo the pain caused by this tragedy, today’s plea ensures accountability and resolution in this deeply emotional case,” said Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown.

Officials say the case was unsolved until advances in forensic technology and investigative work led to Frausto’s arrest.

Detectives now believe the infant was born alive, and they think the child was abandoned around six hours before she was found in some brush.