Woman Admits Freezing Newborns Found in French Home Freezer, Prosecutor Says

Overview

• Two newborns were discovered in a freezer at a residence in Aillevillers-et-Lyaumont after a male family member found the first body and alerted police, who then located a second.
• The suspect, a woman in her fifties, was arrested the next day in Boulogne-Billancourt on the outskirts of Paris.
• Prosecutor Cédric Logelin said the woman admitted wrapping the infants immediately after birth and placing them in a freezer located in the home’s laundry room.
• Authorities said she concealed the pregnancies with loose clothing and could not specify when the births occurred, giving a range between 2011 and 2018; autopsies are scheduled to establish the circumstances.
• Investigators describe the woman as the mother of nine children; her partner told police he was unaware of the pregnancies, and the village mayor said the discovery shocked the 1,500-resident community, echoing past French infanticide cases.