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.
“I didn't understand why it happened. I couldn't wrap my head around it I still can’t,” said her daughter Cynthia Gonzales.
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 October 22.
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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,” said Shamieh.
Her body was discovered three days later more than nine miles away at the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeast Dallas.
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“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,” said Gonzales.
The family demands 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,” said Shamieh.
Gonzales’s autopsy is still pending but Shamieh said foul play isn't suspect.
Dallas police said it’s being investigated as an "unexplained death.”
In an email, the City of Dallas said, “We have no comment at this time.”
“She had a kind heart, couldn't tell no to nobody,” said Gonzales.
Cynthia Gonzales said her mom didn't drive and either took the bus or walked to get around.
“Nobody should have to feel that,” said Gonzales.
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.
