An American student, Mia McQuillin, is in custody after allegedly throwing her newborn from a hotel window in Paris. The baby died.
A newborn baby was thrown from a hotel window at the Ibis Styles on rue de la Croix-Saint-Simon. The baby was rushed to a hospital, but tragically, doctors pronounced the baby dead.
It is believed that McQuillin gave birth in the hotel and then threw the baby out of a second-floor window. Hotel staff did not know she was pregnant, and it is thought she denied the pregnancy.
McQuillin traveled with the EF Gap Year program, which allows young adults to travel. The program released a statement after the incident stating they are cooperating with local authorities.
Emergency services took the baby to a hospital, where the baby died. Witnesses said the umbilical cord was still attached, and one employee described it as a nightmare. The employee said McQuillin gave birth in the room and wrapped the baby in a towel before throwing him out the window.
He was alive when paramedics arrived. Staff wondered if she denied her pregnancy. Authorities suspect pregnancy denial, which is when someone denies their pregnancy. This denial could last until labor and can cause distress and unassisted delivery, and even infanticide.
Researchers call denial a “red flag” that should trigger a psychiatric evaluation. The US Embassy in Paris knows about the arrest and is watching the case closely as a police investigation continues.