Polish 15-year-old found to have given birth, newborn's body discovered at family home in Sulistrowa
A 15-year-old girl was admitted to hospital near Krosno after a concealed delivery, and when police searched the family property they uncovered the body of a newborn. The regional prosecutor has opened a homicide investigation.
Hospital visit triggers search
On Thursday, 11 June, around 4 p.m., police in Krosno (Podkarpackie province) were alerted that a 15-year-old girl had been admitted to the gynaecological ward of the local hospital. Doctors suspected that the teenager had given birth shortly before arriving at the facility. The girl's father had initially brought her to the hospital claiming she felt unwell and had a heavy period, according to FAKT24. She was examined and sent home, but when her condition worsened and she was brought back by ambulance, medical staff confirmed she had just delivered a baby. No infant was with her.
Officers from the Krosno Municipal Police and forensic specialists from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Rzeszów were dispatched to the family's home in the village of Sulistrowa, where they carried out investigative activities under prosecutor supervision.
Discovery of the body
On Friday, 12 June, the body of a newborn was found on the property where the 15-year-old lives. FAKT24 reported that a security camera captured the girl's father moving a box across the yard, and the infant's remains were later located hidden in the attic. The prosecutor ordered the body to be secured for an autopsy, which is scheduled for Tuesday, 16 June, at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
On Friday, 12 June, the body of a newborn was discovered on the property where the 15-year-old resides. By decision of the prosecutor, the body was secured for a post-mortem examination planned for Tuesday, 16 June, at the Jagiellonian University Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Investigation timeline and legal status
On Saturday, 13 June, the District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno launched an investigation under Article 148 §1 of the Polish Penal Code, which covers the crime of homicide. On Monday, 15 June, the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Krosno took over the proceedings.
Three people from the immediate family of the 15-year-old were detained during the investigation but were released after questioning. Prosecutor Kolendowska-Matejczuk stated that no charges have been filed yet and no one remains detained. The authorities are currently working to establish the precise sequence of events and the circumstances of the infant's death.
Three people from the immediate family of the 15-year-old were detained. After carrying out procedural activities, the prosecutor decided to release them. At this moment nobody has been charged and nobody remains detained in this case.
- Police alerted after 15-year-old admitted to Krosno hospital with signs of recent childbirth.
- Officers and forensic specialists search the family home in Sulistrowa under prosecutor supervision.
- Body of newborn discovered on the property; secured for autopsy.
- District Prosecutor's Office in Krosno launches homicide investigation (Article 148 §1).
- Regional Prosecutor's Office takes over the case; three family members released after questioning.
- Scheduled autopsy at Jagiellonian University Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Scope of the inquiry
The investigation is ongoing and is focused on determining whether the baby was born alive and the cause of death. Prosecutor Kolendowska-Matejczuk declined to provide further information, citing the sensitive nature of the case and the early stage of the proceedings. The autopsy results are expected to be a key piece of evidence.
Sulistrowa is a village of a few hundred residents in the Chorkówka municipality in Krosno County, near the Slovak border. The tragedy has drawn national attention in Poland, but authorities have stressed that no conclusions should be drawn before the forensic examination is complete.
