Horror as newborn baby is found dead and dismembered in a rucksack in a Paris home with mother, 21, detained

A young mother has been arrested after a newborn baby was found dead and dismembered in a rucksack at her home in a Paris suburb.

The 21-year-old woman, who has not been named, reportedly gave birth in the commune of Stains, in the suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis area just north of the French capital.

The young woman, who lives with her parents, on Sunday told two of her friends she had given birth, claiming that the child was stillborn and threatening to dismember it, according to the police.

Investigators believe the young woman may have given birth on July 17.

She was reportedly arrested for voluntary homicide on a minor under the age of 15 on Sunday. She was then released on Monday and hospitalised in a psychiatric facility, with doctors describing her mental state as ‘fragile’.

The 21-year-old woman, who has not been named, reportedly gave birth in the commune of Stains (pictured), in the suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis area just north of the French capital

Photo shows illustrative image of Seine-Saint-Denis in France. Woman, 21, is suspected of murdering and cutting up the body of her baby, on Sunday, July 23, 2023

French prosecutors reportedly said that they had found the newborn baby ‘dismembered, in a rucksack, in her room’.

The authorities are investigating whether she was aware that she was pregnant and whether the young woman was suffering from a condition called denial of pregnancy, where the woman is subconsciously aware of her pregnancy, but denies its existence.

The police are also trying to establish whether the parents of the young woman were aware of their daughter’s pregnancy, or the suspected infanticide.

The investigation is ongoing.