On Sunday, a newborn baby who had been missing since Friday was found dead in a wooded area near Halifax, Canada.The police accused two relatives of the infant’s mother of hiding the child’s body and obstructing investigations.Halifax Regional Police said the infant’s remains were discovered around 3:20 p.m. in the woods off Old Coach Road in Goodwood.The accused, 23-year-old Sukhpreet Singh, and his wife, 26-year-old Ramandeep Kaur, are scheduled to appear in Halifax District Court on Monday. Police said Singh was related to the 23-year-old woman who gave birth shortly before she was taken to hospital in critical condition.They both face charges of concealing a child’s body, obstructing the workflow, and insulting a corpse.The investigation began late Friday after hospital staff notified police that a young woman arrived in a life-threatening condition and appeared to have recently given birth, but did not have any baby with her.Emergency crews had earlier responded to a distress call at a home on Willett Street in Clayton Park, where the woman was found and taken to hospital. Officers later searched the property, but were unable to locate the newborn.
Sgt. Pierre Bordges said four people known to the woman were detained for questioning over the weekend. Two of them were later released, while charges were brought against Singh and Kaur.The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service is expected to perform an autopsy to determine the infant’s identity, along with the cause and manner of death.Police said the woman remains in hospital in critical condition, but investigators do not believe she was injured by violence.“Police believe the woman experienced a medical emergency and do not believe her condition was the result of violence,” Halifax Regional Police said in a statement.Bordges said investigators have not yet been able to speak with the woman due to her medical condition.The discovery of the infant’s body has shaken the community.“We have officers with younger families, and we have officers with younger children,” Bordages said outside police headquarters on Sunday.They added: “It’s hard on everyone in the community. It’s hard on everyone in the department.”
