Mother of newborn found dead in W Estonian village charged with manslaughter

TALLINN – The prosecutor's office has brought charges against a 31-year-old woman in connection with the criminal case involving the discovery of a newborn's body in the village of Suure-Lähtru, western Estonia, on Feb. 5 -- the woman is being accused of killing her own child and desecrating the corpse.

According to Eliisa Sommer, senior prosecutor at the West District Prosecutor's Office, the information collected in the course of the criminal proceedings indicates that the 31-year-old woman, being aware of her pregnancy, independently gave birth to a live and full-term male child.

"According to the indictment, after giving birth, a 31-year-old woman caused the newborn's death by her own actions, when she tore the umbilical cord from the placenta and closed the child's airspace. In addition, according to the charges, the 31-year-old woman inflicted superficial skin injuries on the child's head, body, legs and arms," she added.

"The prosecutor's office is accusing the 31-year-old woman of desecrating the corpse, which, according to the indictment, consisted in the fact that she did not bury the newborn's body according to generally accepted customs, but took the naked body to a field, where it was found on the morning of Feb. 5 by a dog from a household in the same village," Sommer said.

She added that the evidence established in the course of the pre-trial proceedings indicates that the woman did not inform anyone about the child's death.

On Feb. 5, the police received a report that the body of a newborn baby had been found in the village of Suure-Lähtru in Lääne-Nigula municipality, western Estonia. The body had been brought to the yard of a farmhouse by the dog of the family living on the property. 

Following the discovery of the child, the police conducted an extensive search of the area and gathered information, leading them to the possible mother. DNA taken from the infant's body confirmed that the baby was born to a 30-year-old woman who had already left the country by the time these results were obtained.

As a result of police cooperation, Moroccan police detained the woman on March 9 and she has been in custody since then.