Police launch murder investigation after bodies of five babies found in boxes in flat

Police launch murder investigation after bodies of five babies found in boxes in flat French detectives have opened a murder inquiry after the remains of five babies were found inside an apartment in the town of Orange A police investigation is under way in southern France after the remains of five infants were discovered inside a family apartment following the birth of another baby. The investigation began after a 32-year-old man reportedly found what appeared to be human remains while searching the home he shared with his partner in Orange. The discovery came shortly after she had given birth at home before being taken to hospital. Prosecutors have since confirmed that officers recovered the skeletal remains of four infants along with the decomposing body of a fifth newborn from the couple's flat in the historic centre of the town. An investigation has been opened into the "murder of a minor under the age of 15", while forensic examinations continue. The Carpentras public prosecutor's office said the woman's partner became concerned after learning, at a very late stage, that she had once again been pregnant and had given birth at home before later being admitted to hospital. Prosecutors said he had been "disturbed by the discovery, once again very late in the pregnancy, that his companion had given birth at home the day before being taken to the hospital." He then searched the apartment and found "what appeared to be human remains", reports the Irish Mirror. After notifying Orange hospital, medical staff alerted prosecutors, prompting a police search of the property on Monday evening. A forensic pathologist's initial assessment concluded that the remains recovered included the skeletons of four infants and the decomposing body of a fifth baby. An autopsy has been ordered on the newborn's body, while specialists will carry out anthropological examinations on the skeletal remains as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Initial reports said the woman had recently given birth to a healthy baby after previously denying she was pregnant. Prosecutors have also confirmed that the latest birth followed another pregnancy that was not discovered until a very late stage. The 32-year-old mother remained in hospital after giving birth and was not immediately questioned by police. However, on Wednesday, 29 July, prosecutors confirmed she had been taken into police custody. Responsibility for the investigation has also been transferred to the Avignon prosecutor's office. Her partner, who is also 32, voluntarily spoke to investigators during the early stages of the inquiry. Prosecutors said he told officers he had been "completely unaware of his partner's pregnancies." He has since been released without charge. The couple also have two children, aged eight and nine. Child Welfare Services has been asked to carry out an urgent assessment of the family's circumstances, while the healthy baby boy born on Sunday has been placed in temporary care pending a hearing before a juvenile court judge. The family lived on the second floor of an old building close to Orange's ancient Roman theatre. By Tuesday morning, police seals bearing the words "murder of a minor under the age of 15" had been placed on the apartment door. Neighbours said they were stunned by the investigation. Florent Jean, who lives nearby, described the family as "charming people" who had moved into the building around two years ago. Recalling the emergency response on Sunday, he said: "I thought to myself: Is she pregnant? That's impossible. She was so thin." He added that the woman "would pick the children up from school at lunchtime for a meal", while her partner "would go to work in the morning and come back in the evening, just normal people, really." Investigators are continuing to establish exactly what happened to the five infants. Prosecutors have indicated that although the current legal classification is the "murder of a minor under the age of 15", the offence under investigation could change as further forensic evidence is examined. The case has inevitably drawn comparisons with previous infanticide investigations in France. In the country's most notorious case, Dominique Cottrez was convicted of killing eight newborn babies whose bodies were discovered in 2010. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2015 after the court accepted that her judgement had been impaired.