An 18-year-old American tourist has been arrested after allegedly throwing her newborn baby from a second-floor window at a Paris hotel, authorities said.
The infant, discovered with the umbilical cord still attached, was found wrapped in a sheet outside the Ibis Style hotel in Paris’ 20th arrondissement near Place de la Nation. Emergency services rushed the baby to Robert Debre hospital following reports of the incident at 6 a.m., but the infant succumbed to injuries.
Witnesses alerted authorities after hearing screams. The woman, who was traveling through Europe with a group of young adults, was taken to a hospital for medical treatment following the delivery.
“She was also taken into custody on site. The possibility of a denial of pregnancy is being considered,” the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Investigators believe the woman may have been experiencing “pregnancy denial” when she “unexpectedly” gave birth at the budget hotel.
The prosecutor’s office confirmed an investigation has been opened into “homicide of a minor under 15.” Following medical treatment, including surgery related to the delivery, authorities charged the woman with child murder.
“The investigation is underway and the precise circumstances of this tragedy remain to be established,” a source close to the case told Paris Match.
