A newborn tragically died after an American tourist allegedly threw the infant out of a hotel window shortly after giving birth, according to local police. Authorities said that the 18-year-old mother allegedly threw the baby from the second floor of an Ibis Styles hotel, with the umbilical cord still attached.
Emergency responders rushed the infant to Robert-Debré Hospital after witnesses reported the distressing incident around 6 a.m. on Monday. The Paris prosecutor’s office told Le Parisien that the infant did not survive the fall and died from the injuries sustained. Authorities have launched an investigation into the “homicide of a minor under 15,” the city’s public prosecutor told the outlet.
Killed Just after Seeing Light of the World
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The office said that the mother was part of a group of young adults traveling across Europe. She was also hospitalized for a surgical procedure and was arrested at the scene, officials confirmed.
The heartbreaking incident reportedly took place at a hotel on Rue des Réglises in Paris’ 20th arrondissement. The newborn was rushed to a hospital in the 19th arrondissement.
According to Paris Match, witnesses were “alerted by screams” before contacting emergency services early this morning.
The baby was rushed to the hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries but was later pronounced dead. “The investigation is underway and the precise circumstances of this tragedy remain to be established,” a person close to the case told the outlet.
Paris resident Tassos Xenakis told the Daily Mail that by early afternoon, there was no police presence or cordon at the hotel.
The Ibis Styles is a three-star budget hotel located off Rue de la Croix Saint-Simon, with rooms typically priced around £80 per night.
Not the First Time
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In a similar case last year, a German woman was convicted of manslaughter after dropping her newborn nearly 12 feet from her apartment window, allegedly out of fear that having a baby would disrupt her career.
Katarina Jovanovic was found guilty by the Heilbronn District Court on July 3. During the trial, Jovanovic admitted to the act but was unable to explain her actions to the court, according to ASB Zeitung.
She also claimed she was unaware of her pregnancy. However, prosecutors argued that she had intentionally concealed it from colleagues and neighbors and accused her of murder.
Prosecutors told the court that Jovanovic believed having a child would spoil her career as an executive in Porsche’s legal department. Public prosecutor Mareike Hafendoerfer said: “The accused was not prepared to put her life plans, especially her professional advancement, on hold for a child.
“That was her decision when the baby was born, and as a result, the criteria for a murder conviction are fulfilled.”
Defence attorney Malte Hoech said: “It is a drama that affects me personally. My client did not even know that she was pregnant.
“When she suddenly held the bloody baby in her hands, she was in an exceptional psychological situation.
“It was an accident, she dropped the baby. How the child ended up over the windowsill remains to be determined.”
The court opted for the reduced charge of manslaughter but sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison—exceeding the three-year term requested by the defense.
