In a heartbreaking incident at a hospital in southern Gran Canaria, a newborn baby was discovered abandoned in a toilet, shocking both staff and authorities. The National Police have apprehended a 31-year-old woman in connection with the incident, which is currently under investigation.
The distressing finding took place at San Roque Meloneras Hospital in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana on a Sunday morning. A hospital staff member came across the lifeless infant in a toilet around 9:20 am.
Reports indicate that the baby’s body, wrapped in paper and covered in blood, was left on the hospital premises. The staff member promptly informed hospital security and management, who then contacted the National Police.
Investigators from the Scientific Police and the Judicial Police of the Maspalomas station were deployed to the hospital. They secured the area, reviewed surveillance footage, and began collecting evidence to identify the individual responsible for abandoning the newborn.
Through CCTV analysis, authorities identified a woman entering the bathroom during the suspected time of birth. Later, she was found outside the hospital at a bus shelter near the entrance, still in blood-stained attire from the alleged birth. The woman, a 31-year-old Spanish national, was swiftly apprehended.
While police suggest that the woman may have struggles with drug addiction, this aspect is part of the ongoing inquiry and remains unconfirmed.
Initial reports indicate that the woman claimed she was unaware of her pregnancy, despite being near full term. Allegedly feeling unwell, she visited the hospital on Saturday evening around 8:30 pm, where she gave birth alone in a toilet without seeking medical help.
The woman stated that the baby was born alive and cried before she wrapped it in paper and abandoned it in the bathroom. She then left the hospital without informing anyone.
On Sunday morning, she purportedly returned to the hospital to check if the baby had been discovered, leading to her arrest on suspicion of child abandonment. Following her apprehension, she was taken to the Gran Canaria Maternity and Children’s Hospital for custody while recuperating from childbirth.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities strive to ascertain the exact circumstances of the birth and the cause of the infant’s death. The baby’s body has been sent to the Forensic Anatomical Institute for examination, and investigators are verifying the woman’s account to establish the sequence of events.