Germany: Mother of eight dead babies arrested after going on the run

The babies were discovered in the Bavarian village of Wallenfels frankenwald-tourismus.de

German police have arrested the mother of the dead babies found in a box in her Bavarian home on 12 November. The woman, known only as "Andrea G", was arrested at 7.54pm on 13 November. She had been missing from her family home in Wallenfels for two and a half months following a "heavy row" with her husband.

The 46-year-old fugitive was found in a boarding house in nearby Kronach and did not resist arrest. When police raided the property, they also discovered a 55-year-old man with Andrea. His relationship to the suspect, or the murder probe, was not immediately apparent, said officials.

"The questioning of both is ongoing," stated a police spokesman. So far there are no reports of charges being made against Andrea her companion.

Eight babies' bodies were discovered in a storage room inside Andrea's apartment on 12 November when a female lodger tipped off police. The babies were wrapped in hand towels and plastic bags inside a box, officers said.

Their mother had lived in the house for 18 years, but had not been seen since the end of September, following a dispute with her spouse who was often drunk, according to the German newspaper Bild. When inebriated, he had been heard saying to her: "I know you have hidden babies' bodies in the house."

Andrea has three children with her husband, aged between 12-13 with her husband, said police. However the suspect, who owns a news kiosk, also had "several" children from previous relationships. These are thought to be the dead babies. According to Bild: "The woman was often pregnant, but covered these pregnancies up."

The bodies were so decomposed that initially experts were certain how many there were. They believed the total was seven, but on 13 November raised it to eight. The police said the remains were in a "very bad state" and had been stored for a lengthy period.

Autopsies were due to be carried out on 13 November. However, police stated forensic examinations of the corpses could take some time due to their "poor" condition, with the results expected next week.