In a shocking incident at a hospital in southern Gran Canaria, a newborn baby was tragically discovered abandoned in a toilet, leaving both staff and authorities in disbelief. The National Police have apprehended a 31-year-old woman in connection with the case, which is currently under investigation.
The distressing find took place at the San Roque Meloneras Hospital in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana on a Sunday morning when a member of the hospital staff found the lifeless infant in one of the restrooms around 9:20 am.
The body, wrapped in paper and covered in blood, was left within the hospital premises. The staff member promptly alerted the hospital security and management, who then contacted the National Police.
Upon arrival, officers from the Scientific Police and the Judicial Police of the Maspalomas station secured the area, reviewed surveillance footage, and commenced gathering evidence to identify the individual responsible for abandoning the newborn.
Through CCTV analysis, authorities identified a woman entering the bathroom at the time of the alleged birth. Subsequently, she was located outside the hospital near a bus shelter at the entrance, still wearing blood-stained attire from the event. The woman, a Spanish national aged 31, was immediately taken into custody.
While it is speculated that the woman may have struggles with drug addiction, this aspect remains a subject of the ongoing investigation and has not been confirmed yet by the police.
Initial reports suggest that the woman claimed she was unaware of her pregnancy despite being nearly full term. She stated that she had visited the hospital the previous evening feeling unwell and gave birth unassisted in a restroom without seeking medical help.
She asserted that the baby was born alive and cried before she wrapped it in paper and left it in the restroom, departing the hospital without notifying anyone.
The woman allegedly returned to the hospital the following day to check on the newborn’s situation. It was during this visit that the hospital staff discovered the baby’s body, leading to her arrest on suspicion of child abandonment.
After her apprehension, she was transferred to the Gran Canaria Maternity and Children’s Hospital, where she is under police supervision while recuperating from childbirth. Authorities have confirmed that she had not been admitted to the hospital before giving birth and did not seek medical attention at any point.
The investigation is ongoing as the police work to ascertain the precise circumstances surrounding the birth and the cause of the infant’s death. The body has been sent to the Forensic Anatomical Institute for examination, and investigators aim to corroborate the woman’s account to establish the sequence of events.