World
November 22, 2024 17:00
vienna - A newborn baby girl who disappeared from a hospital neonatal ward in Austria on Thursday has been found dead in a waste container nearby. The mother of the baby has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
The massive search for the baby, who was only a few days old and disappeared from the Favoriten clinic in Vienna on Thursday, has tragically ended. A police spokesperson said this on Friday afternoon.
The 30-year-old Austrian woman of Turkish descent, who lives in Vienna with her partner, was questioned by the police for a long time on Thursday evening. There were strong suspicions that she was involved. The woman was the last one to have been in the room before a nurse discovered the baby's disappearance.
Ultimately, she confessed and pointed out the location where she had dumped her daughter. 'At this moment, there are no concrete indications that the father was also involved,' said the police.
'What has happened leaves us bewildered. Our staff who supported the police in the search are all deeply affected. They will receive psychological care if needed,' said the hospital's medical director Michaela Riegler in a brief statement.
Whether the mother has had previous psychological problems is still part of the investigation. The reason why the child was in the neonatal ward is also unknown. That is part of the investigation secrecy. Either the girl was born prematurely, or complications occurred soon after birth.
The big question now is whether the girl was already dead when she was left in the container. 'We cannot say anything about the time of death yet, that will be determined by the forensic doctor. An autopsy will be performed as soon as possible,' said a police spokesperson.
The girl, who was only a few days old, was supposed to be discharged from the hospital on Thursday. The child's mother, who slept in the same room, left the ward on Thursday morning. That was not unusual. When a nurse entered the room shortly after, the child was gone.
What followed was a large search operation with more than a hundred officers, search dogs, and even a helicopter. Unfortunately, they could not find the girl alive.