In a distressing incident, the body of a newborn baby was discovered abandoned in a hospital toilet in southern Gran Canaria, leaving both staff and authorities shocked. A 31-year-old woman has been arrested by the National Police in connection with the case, which is currently under active investigation.
The troubling find took place at the San Roque Meloneras Hospital in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana on a Sunday morning. The infant, found lifeless by a hospital staff member around 9:20 am, was wrapped in paper, covered in blood, and left on the premises. Promptly, the hospital’s security team and management were informed by the employee, who then contacted the National Police.
Law enforcement officers from the Maspalomas station’s Scientific Police and Judicial Police were deployed to the hospital. They secured the area, reviewed surveillance footage, and initiated the collection of evidence to pinpoint the individual responsible for abandoning the newborn.
Through the analysis of CCTV footage, authorities were able to identify a woman who had entered the bathroom during the apparent birth. Subsequently, she was located outside the hospital near a bus shelter at the facility’s entrance. The 31-year-old Spanish national was still clad in blood-stained clothing she had worn during the alleged birth, leading to her immediate arrest.
Although unconfirmed and subject to investigation, police sources suggest the woman may have struggles with drug addiction. Initial reports indicate that the woman claimed she was unaware of her pregnancy, despite being near full term. Allegedly, she visited the hospital feeling unwell on Saturday evening around 8:30 pm, gave birth alone in a restroom without seeking medical help, and left the baby wrapped in paper in the bathroom after birth.
Upon her return to the hospital on Sunday morning seemingly to check on the abandoned newborn, the woman was arrested on suspicion of child abandonment. Following her apprehension, she was taken to the Gran Canaria Maternity and Children’s Hospital for both police custody and post-birth recovery. Authorities confirmed she had not been admitted to the hospital before the birth and had not sought medical assistance at any prior point.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to ascertain the circumstances of the birth and the cause of the infant’s death. The newborn’s body has been sent to the Forensic Anatomical Institute for examination, with investigators aiming to verify the woman’s account to establish a clear timeline of events.