Prosecutors and French media say that an American teen was arrested in Paris after her newborn baby was thrown out of a hotel window and died.
The young woman, who was not named, gave birth and was taken to the hospital for surgery. She was then arrested, according to a statement from the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
The prosecutor’s office said that on Monday, her newborn baby “was allegedly thrown out of the second-floor window of a hotel” in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. “The baby was taken to the hospital for emergency care, but it did not make it.”
“The mother, an American citizen, was traveling in Europe with a group of young adults,” the prosecutor’s office said. “An investigation into the murder of a minor has since been opened.” The office of the prosecutor said it was possible that the young woman didn’t know she was pregnant or was trying to hide it.
Later, late Wednesday night, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office told CNN that the woman had been taken into police mental care.
The mayor of the 20th arrondissement told CNN that the baby was found living in a trash can near the hotel and was taken right away to the Necker hospital for children in Paris. The child passed away in the hospital.
CNN has talked to the French cops and the US State Department. The hospital where the woman was taken wouldn’t say anything.
The building manager of the building across from the Ibis hotel where the event took place said that she and her husband were awakened early Monday morning by the sound of sirens.
“There were police cars and ambulances,” Maria told CNN, declining to give her last name. She also said that police later knocked on her door to find witnesses.
“We thought it might have been gang-related, but when we found out what had happened, we were heartbroken,” she said.
She said she was shocked by what took place. “I’ve lived here for more than 30 years. It’s a nice, quiet neighborhood with not many tourists.” “It’s really sad.”
CNN was told that the US Embassy in Paris knew about the arrest and was “closely monitoring this case.”
“We were very sad to hear about the recent tragedy where a young life was lost,” the embassy said.
Paris Match was the first to report on the case. AFP and Le Parisien both said the woman was 18 years old.
