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Crime

German police arrest woman in baby body probe

December 2, 2018

Around two weeks after the body of a baby was found in a container of donated clothes, police in the German city of Duisburg have arrested a suspect. Authorities also found the body of a second infant in her apartment.

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Police in Duisburg inspect a clothes donation bin after an infant's body was found
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Weihrauch

A 35-year-old woman in the western German city of Duisburg was arrested over the weekend for her suspected involvement in the deaths of two infants, police said on Sunday.

Duisburg authorities searched the woman's apartment late Friday while investigating the death of a baby girl who was found in a clothes-donation shipment in Poland. The shipment containing the body came from Duisburg.

The body of a second baby girl was found in the suspect's apartment, hidden in sheets and plastic bags, police said in a statement.

According to police, the woman admitted to giving birth to the second baby, but denied involvement in the first case.

'Extensive evidence' found in apartment

The 35-year-old was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter for the deceased baby who was found in her apartment.

Authorities said they were able to uncover "extensive evidence" during their search, including bloodied sheets.

On November 17, workers at a donation sorting center in the city of Kielce, Poland, were sorting through clothes from a donation shipment sent from Duisburg when they found the first newborn girl's body.

Police named the girl "Mia" and said they believed the girl was placed in a donation bin in Duisburg between October 31 and November 8.

rs/jm (dpa, AP)

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