Prosecutors opened a murder investigation as forensic specialists worked to determine when and how the infants died.
ORANGE, France — French authorities are investigating the suspected deaths of five infants after police found bones and a decomposing body inside the home of a couple in the southern city of Orange, prosecutors said.
The discovery followed the birth of a healthy baby at the home on Sunday, July 26. The 32-year-old mother was taken to a hospital the next day, and her partner alerted authorities after finding what appeared to be human remains while searching the residence, according to prosecutors. Investigators have not publicly identified either adult.
Police searched the home Monday and found remains that a forensic pathologist initially believed belonged to five infants. Prosecutors then opened a criminal investigation into suspected murder. The early assessment has not established the identities of the infants, when they died or the causes of their deaths.
The woman’s partner, also 32, told police that he had not known about possible earlier pregnancies, prosecutors said. Authorities said he had learned of the most recent pregnancy only at a late stage and became distressed before searching the home. His account remains part of the investigation and has not been presented as a final finding.
The mother remained hospitalized when prosecutors released their first account of the case. She had not yet been interviewed by investigators, and authorities had not announced any charges. It was also unclear whether she had obtained legal representation.
A post-mortem examination was ordered for the decomposing body. The skeletal remains were to undergo laboratory analysis by specialists, who will try to determine their age, whether they came from newborns and whether evidence can establish how or when the deaths occurred.
The couple also have two children, ages 8 and 9. The prosecutor’s office asked child welfare officials to conduct an urgent assessment of their health and living conditions. Officials also issued a temporary placement order for the baby born Sunday while the case is referred to a children’s court judge.
The findings were made in Orange, a city in the Vaucluse department of southeastern France. Police seals were placed on the residence as investigators examined the property and gathered evidence. Authorities have released few details about the scene beyond the presence of bones and a decomposing body.
Prosecutors have not said whether investigators believe all five infants were born alive, whether the remains are connected to the hospitalized woman or whether another person may have been involved. Those questions depend in part on the medical and anthropological examinations.
The investigation remained active Thursday. No final forensic conclusions, criminal charges or court dates had been announced, and prosecutors said further testing would be needed before the circumstances surrounding the deaths could be established.