In a shocking incident, a mother in France kept her newborn baby in the car boot for two years in a bid to hide her pregnancy from her family. She is now facing trial and is accused of repeated violence against a minor causing permanent disability.
Rosa Maria Da Cruz, 50, gave a 'clandestine birth' to a girl named Serena who is believed to be around two years old now. Cruz hid the girl for two years and kept her in inhuman condition while raising her other three children, a court heard.
The toddler was discovered by a garage mechanic inside a car in Terrasson-Lavilledieu in southwestern France. Cruz had allegedly asked the mechanics not to open the boot citing it was full and she did not want to empty it. However, mechanics got suspicious when they heard scratching sounds coming from the boot. Initially, they thought it to be an animal inside but were shocked to see a little-malnourished girl lying naked inside the smelly boot.
"I discovered this little girl in the bottom of the trunk, naked, next to a rotten bassinet, disgusting. I jumped back so much the smell was strong," Mirror. quoted mechanic Denis Latour as saying on France TV.
It is reported the girl, now seven and under specialist care was malnourished and suffering from severe developmental issues when she was found in the car boot. "The firefighters told us that if we had not opened the chest, she would be dead in half an hour," another garage staff said.