Authorities in Orange, France, say a 32-year-old man discovered remains that a forensic pathologist believes are those of five newborns inside cardboard boxes in his apartment after an argument with his partner. The woman had given birth at home on July 26 to a healthy baby boy and was later taken to hospital. Prosecutors opened a murder investigation, ordered an autopsy, and requested urgent child welfare assessments for the couple’s two older children, ages 8 and 9.
French Man Finds Remains of Five Newborns in Apartment After Argument; Murder Probe Opened
Police seals stuck to the door of an apartment in Orange, in southeastern France, where the remains of five newborns were allegedly foundCredit: Thibaud MORITZ / AFP via Getty
A 32-year-old man in Orange, France, discovered what authorities say are the remains of five newborns stored in cardboard boxes in his apartment after an argument with his partner, prosecutors and police said.
Timeline and Discovery
According to officials, the woman — the man's longtime partner, also 32 — gave birth at home on July 26 to a healthy baby boy and was later taken to a local hospital for abdominal pain. While she was at the hospital, the man opened several boxes in their apartment and reported finding material that "looked like human remains." Hospital staff notified prosecutors, and police responded to the scene.
Apartment building where the remains of five newborns were found, police saidCredit: Thibaud MORITZ / AFP via Getty
Forensic Findings and Investigation
Officers searching the apartment recovered bones and a decomposing body. A forensic pathologist called to the scene later determined that the remains appeared to belong to five newborns, prosecutors said on July 28. Authorities opened a murder investigation and ordered an autopsy on the decomposing body to establish the cause and timing of death.
Family Welfare Actions
The man told police he was unaware of any other pregnancies. Prosecutors asked child welfare services for an urgent assessment of the couple's two older children, aged 8 and 9. Officials also issued a provisional placement order for the newborn delivered on July 26, pending referral to a children's court judge.
“They were normal people, really,” a neighbor told reporters, describing the woman as a stay-at-home mother and noting that the couple’s older children attended the local elementary school.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and that forensic and judicial procedures will determine how the infants died and whether criminal charges will follow.
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