A WOMAN who allegedly strangled her newborn baby to death, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
The mother-of-five, identified only by her name Oleksandra, is said to have murdered her daughter soon after delivering her at home in the city of Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old reportedly hid the child’s body in her apartment for two days, waiting for an opportunity to throw it away.
Reports say the woman had given birth to her sixth baby, lying in the bathtub, and strangled the newborn girl to death with her bare hands merely seconds later.
After cutting the umbilical cord, Oleksandra put the corpse in a plastic washbasin, covered it with a pile of dirty clothes and hid it in the bathroom, investigators said.
When asked, the mother denied having given birth to a child after concerned neighbours called the police.
Furthermore, she said could not explain why her belly had become much flatter and smaller, according to a woman living next door.
Oleksandra is said to have confessed to secretly delivering a child and specified where to find the body when officers were about to take her for medical examinations.
A witness said: “she did not want the baby, planned to carry it outside and throw it into a rubbish container after her husband left for work.”
Forensics established the baby was murdered after its birth.
Andriy Donets, the Chief of Mykolaiv police department commented: “The girl was born alive and died of mechanical asphyxia. It means she was strangled to death.”
Oleksandra’s husband Mykola, confirmed he was not aware that she was pregnant and thought she had put some weight on.
A criminal case for premeditated murder has now been opened against the mother, who faces up to five years in jail if convicted.
The couple’s 18-month-old twin sons and older children, aged three, five and six, were taken from home by social services.
The parents are expected to be deprived of parental rights, say local media.
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