Parents who left newborn in Amsterdam dumpster suspected of killing another baby
The parents that allegedly abandoned their newborn girl in an underground garbage container on Meernhof in Amsterdam-Zuidoost in early 2021 are now suspected of murdering another baby at an earlier date, Het Parool reported on Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service confirmed the allegation when contacted by the newspaper.
The prosecutor said, "Both are suspected of attempted murder in the case of one baby. In addition, they are suspected of successfully carrying out the murder of another baby at an earlier time." Attorneys for the baby's mother and father, who were underage at the time of the alleged incidents, would not respond to Parool's request for comment about the new accusation.
Firefighters found the newborn girl in an underground trash container on February 21, 2021. Someone walking in the area thought they heard a baby crying from inside the garbage dumpster, and called emergency services at about 10:40 p.m. Firefighters found the baby inside a yellow Jumbo shopping bag that had been dumped inside.
First responders quickly swaddled the little girl in their coats, and she was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Her condition had already begun to improve a day after her rescue.
Two days later, her 17-year-old parents were taken into custody. Both reside in Amsterdam, and said they are the baby's parents. They were released from pre-trial detention during a hearing in front of a juvenile court judge in Amsterdam soon after. Police also arrested the baby's maternal grandmother in the case. The child was placed in a new home, according to the prosecutors.
Gerald Roethof, the lawyer for the baby's father, previously said the parents thought their daughter had died. He added that the two minor-aged suspects had panicked and did not know what to do.
As the parents were minors at the time of the incidents, their criminal trial will be conducted privately. The hearing is set to take place in September of this year.
