Mysterious Babyleichnam discovered: Investigations against unknown mother!

Mysterious Babyleichnam discovered: Investigations against unknown mother!

On June 29, 2025, the body of a male infant was discovered in the area of the Iriskogel in the Europapark. The remains were found in a bush, a shocking discovery that alerted the authorities. During the subsequent autopsy it turned out that it could not be clarified whether the child was born dead or alive. The investigation is due to suspicion of killing a child at birth according to paragraph 79 of the Criminal Code. The suspicion is directed against both the mother and unknown. A DNA evaluation for the identification of the parents is still pending, which makes the investigation further difficult.

This tragic discovery raises questions about the situation of unwanted pregnant women and the opportunities for secret births. In Austria, the introduction of anonymous birth in 2001 caused a positive change. According to a study published in Bjog's journal, the number of newborns who have violently died has been more than halved since 2002. If the proportion was still around seven out of 100,000 between 1991 and 2001, it dropped to only three out of 100,000 between 2002 and 2009. This is attributed to the anonymous birth that affected women offers medical and psychosocial support.

support for expectant mothers

Anonymous birth is a way in which women can give birth under strict anonymity. In urban hospitals, including the AKH Vienna, pregnant women have the opportunity to carry out their births anonymously. The introduction of a law on the expansion of aid for pregnant women who has been in force since 2014 also promotes confidential births that enable the medically supervised childbirth in a clinic or at a midwife. This law guarantees 16 years of anonymity for mothers and ensures its legal claims.

A help phone called "Pregnant women in need" offers advice around the clock, anonymous and free advice in 19 different languages. Pregnancy advice centers also play a central role by supporting women in difficult living situations and providing information about anonymous advice. A survey by the Federal Government shows that these measures are successful: Since the introduction of the law, there have been over 3500 consultations on confidential birth, and about 28% of women opted for this option.

summary of developments

The separate statistics on anonymous births and the use of baby flaps also show the effectiveness of the offers in Austria: While only two to three babies are given every year via baby flaps, between 30 and 40 women use the possibility of an anonymous birth. Accordingly, the legal regulations that not only aim at the anonymous births, but also on other help offers for pregnant women, have a consistently positive

The incoming examinations in the current case of the discovered infant not only show the sadness of the situation, but also underline the urgency to enable pregnant approaches to the available help in order to prevent such tragedies in the future. The thesis that unwanted pregnancies often lead to extreme measures remains unchanged and requires further attention and measures on the part of society.