The newborn’s mother was said to be on a study trip to Paris when witnesses alerted the police after seeing the baby thrown from a window, with an investigation since launched
A teenager has been arrested after her newborn baby was allegedly thrown out of a hotel window and died, according to prosecutors and French media.
The 18-year-old student, who has not been named, was said to be on a study trip to Paris, France, when the incident took place. She was taken to hospital to undergo an operation after giving birth and was subsequently placed under police custody, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
Her newborn baby “was allegedly thrown out of the second-floor window of a hotel” in the 20th arrondissement of Paris on Monday, the prosecutor’s office said. “The newborn was taken to emergency care but did not survive.”
The incident was said to have taken place at around 6am in a small side street, with locals reporting hearing “screaming” following the incident that has shook the local community. Eyewitnesses sounded the alarm and the child was rushed to the Robert-Debré hospital before being pronounced dead.
“The mother, an American citizen, was part of a group of young adults traveling in Europe,” the prosecutor’s office said, adding an investigation into the murder of a minor has since been opened. The prosecutor’s office said it was possible the young woman could have been unaware of her pregnancy, or in denial about it.
A spokesperson for the mayor of the 20th arrondissement told CNN the baby was found alive in a trash can near the hotel and was rushed to the Paris children’s hospital, the Necker. The infant died at the hospital.
The hospital where the woman was taken declined to comment. The caretaker of the building opposite the Ibis hotel where the incident happened said she and her husband were woken by the sound of sirens early on Monday morning.
“There were police cars and ambulances,” Maria, who declined to share her surname, told CNN, adding that police later knocked on her door, looking for eyewitnesses.
“We thought it might be gang-related, but when we learned what had happened, we were devastated,” she recalled. Maria said she was shocked by what happened. “I’ve lived here for over 30 years, and it’s a quiet neighborhood with very few tourists. It’s so sad.”
The US Embassy in Paris confirmed it was aware of reports of the arrest and was “closely monitoring this case.” They added: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the recent tragedy involving the loss of a young life.”
The case was first reported by Paris Match. AFP news agency and Le Parisien gave the woman’s age as 18.
A police investigation has been launched and is still in its early stages.