Montreal

Mother charged in deaths of her 3 newborn babies

A woman has been charged in connection with the deaths of three infants she gave birth to in separate pregnancies.

Quebec provincial police discovered bodies during raid of woman's home in October

A 27-year-old woman charged with three counts of first-degree murder made a brief court appearance at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse on Thursday. (Martin Thibault/Radio-Canada)

A woman has been charged in connection with the deaths of three infants she gave birth to in separate pregnancies.

The 27-year-old woman from Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-lac stared at the floor during her brief appearance in court in Saint-Jérôme today. The only time she spoke was in a whisper to confirm her name.

The woman has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder. It is alleged that one of the deaths occurred in October, while the other two deaths occurred between Dec. 3, 2014, and February 2017.

She has also been charged with the corruption of a child, failing to provide the necessaries of life, and disposing of the dead body of a child with the intent to conceal delivery.

At least one of the charges is related to a living child.

A police cruiser crest.
Quebec provincial police arrested the woman on Wednesday. (Rémi Tremblay/Radio-Canada)

Police say they were first contacted after the woman showed up in distress at a hospital on Oct. 15.

Sûreté du Québec officers discovered the remains of three newborn babies during a raid of the woman's home the following day.

After an investigation, the woman was arrested in Trois-Rivières on Wednesday.

Police confirmed the three babies came from different pregnancies.

The woman will remain in custody until she returns to court on Dec. 7.

With files from Sean Henry, Radio-Canada and la Presse Canadienne