Mia McQuillin, 18, is accused of throwing her newborn baby, who had not yet had his umbilical cord cut, out of a window at the Ibis Styles hotel in Paris on Monday.
An American student accused in France of “child murder” after she allegedly threw her baby out of a Paris hotel window has been transferred to a locked psychiatric facility.
Mia McQuillin, 18, was released from formal custody on Thursday and transferred to a specialised unit. She had been detained on Monday in her room on the second floor of the Ibis Styles hotel in the French capital's 20th arrondissement after the newborn was found in the street below. The baby still had the “umbilical cord” attached and was wrapped in a sheet.
Passersby spotted the baby lying on the sidewalk and saw that the hotel window was open 30 feet above when they called police. Despite attempts at resuscitation, the baby was pronounced dead at nearby Robert DeBray Hospital, where Ms McQuillin also underwent surgery.
Investigators said there were concerns Ms McQuillin may have suffered from “pregnancy denial” after the unexpected birth.
A source in the prosecutor's office told Le Parisien: “Three days after her arrest,” the suspect was “taken to the psychiatric hospital of the police headquarters.” The unit “accepts patients who pose a danger to public safety due to possible mental disorders,” the newspaper added.
Ms. McQuillin is a boarding student from Bend, Oregon, and was traveling with a group of American compatriots in Europe. All are being interviewed by detectives and trip coordinators, according to the source conducting the investigation. Ms. McQuillin’s family members are also expected to travel from the U.S. to provide support.
The Paris prosecutor's office, together with the judicial police and the specialized unit for the protection of children, opened a criminal case on the fact of “murder of a child.”
“The investigation is ongoing and the exact details of this tragedy are yet to be established,” another source in the investigation said.
The three-star budget Ibis Styles hotel, where rooms cost around £100 a night, remained open on Thursday.
Sourse: www.mirror.co.uk
