A 28-year-old woman in Germany has confessed
to killing each of her five children shortly after giving birth to them.
The woman turned herself in to police in the
German city of Flensburg and made a "comprehensive confession",
according to spokesman Dirk Czarnetzki.
The woman confessed to police that she killed
her children, then hid their bodies. She was then arrested on five counts of
manslaughter.
Ulrike Stahlmann-Liebelt, the head prosecutor
in Flensburg, said the woman has two living children, aged eight and 10, though
her name is not being released in accordance with German privacy laws.
The case has shocked the small German town of
Husum where the woman lived.
It is alleged she began hiding her pregnancies
in 2006, avoiding doctors and hospitals before killing each infant shortly
after giving birth.
The paper sorting
station where the woman hid one of the bodies
She claimed to have given birth to two of her
children at home and three of them in nearby woods.
"She had the impression her husband would
leave her if she had any more children, and that's why she didn't tell anyone
she was pregnant, including her husband," said Mr Stahlmann-Liebelt.
The woman also said her family lived at a
certain level of prosperity, which she feared might be endangered by another
child. She added her husband had made it clear he did not want a bigger family.
The husband has told police that he knew
nothing about the pregnancies and it was not entirely clear how his wife
managed to keep them secret.
Police found the first child's body dumped in
a paper sorting station in 2006, nine miles (15 kms)
The second was found in a parking area near a
motorway in 2007.
After reading news reports that DNA results
had confirmed the two children had the same parents, fearful of being caught,
the woman decided not to dispose of the other bodies in public places.
She hid the next three infants in boxes in the
basement of the building where she lived.
Police have recovered the bodies and sent them
for autopsy, but forensic experts have not yet been able to determine exactly
how the woman killed the babies or when.
A judge has ordered the woman be held in
custody until she is charged, which typically takes several months in Germany.
Mr Stahlmann-Liebelt said it was too early to say what penalty she might face
if convicted.
The quite town of Husum where the woman lives
The second was found in a parking area near a
motorway in 2007.
After reading news reports that DNA results
had confirmed the two children had the same parents, fearful of being caught,
the woman decided not to dispose of the other bodies in public places.
She hid the next three infants in boxes in the
basement of the building where she lived.
Police have recovered the bodies and sent them
for autopsy, but forensic experts have not yet been able to determine exactly
how the woman killed the babies or when.
A judge has ordered the woman be held in
custody until she is charged, which typically takes several months in Germany.
Mr Stahlmann-Liebelt said it was too early to say what penalty she might face
if convicted.
