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Toulouse Opens Murder Inquiry After Newborn’s Body Brought to Children’s Hospital

Investigators await medical-legal tests to distinguish a homicide from a death linked to an unattended birth.

Overview

  • A 23-year-old woman arrived at Pierre-Paul Riquet children’s hospital in Toulouse carrying a backpack that contained a deceased newborn.
  • The Toulouse prosecutor, David Charmatz, has opened an investigation for murder of a minor under 15, and the woman has been placed in 48-hour police custody.
  • In subsequent interviews, the woman acknowledged giving birth alone at home, and a police search corroborated that a delivery occurred at the family residence.
  • An autopsy scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and concurrent biological analyses aim to determine the cause of death and confirm the maternal link.
  • Investigators found a handwritten note in the bag stating the baby was born on December 21 and had been washed, and they are weighing scenarios ranging from stillbirth or precarious birth conditions to a criminal act.