French police find remains of five infants in Paris apartment; murder investigation launched

French authorities have launched an investigation into suspected murder after police discovered the skeletal remains of five infants in a Paris apartment. The grim discovery was made by a 30-year-old man who searched the couple's home after his partner, aged 32, gave birth to a healthy child.

According to the prosecutor's office, the man became concerned because he had learned about his partner's pregnancy very late. During his search, he found what appeared to be human remains, prompting him to contact the hospital. The hospital then alerted the prosecution.

A forensic expert has preliminarily assessed that the remains likely belong to five newborns. Further autopsies are scheduled to confirm the findings. Investigators have not yet been able to interview the mother, who was taken to the hospital after giving birth.

The couple has two other children, aged eight and nine. The case has prompted renewed attention to similar past incidents in France, including a 2015 case where a mother was sentenced to nine years for killing eight newborns, and a 2018 case where a woman received eight years for drowning five newborns and storing their bodies in a freezer. In March of this year, a 44-year-old woman was sentenced to 25 years for the deaths of two newborns whose bodies were found in a family freezer.