Halifax police say two people face charges after an infant’s remains were found in a wooded area near the city following a search for a missing newborn.
Two people are facing charges after police found the remains of a newborn in a wooded area near Halifax, more than 36 hours after a woman arrived at hospital in critical condition after apparently giving birth.
Halifax Regional Police said hospital staff notified them Friday that a 23-year-old woman was in life-threatening condition and appeared to have recently delivered a baby. The infant was not with her at the hospital, prompting a search that continued through the weekend.
The woman had been taken to hospital after paramedics and firefighters responded to a residence following an emergency call about a woman in distress, police said. Officers later went to an address on Willet Street in Clayton Park but did not find a baby there.
Staff Sgt. Pierre Bourdages said four people were taken into custody and interviewed. He would not say whether the baby was born at the Willet Street address.
Police and ground search and rescue crews searched the Clayton Park area before new information led investigators Sunday to Prospect Road in Goodwood, about 10 kilometres from the Willet Street home. Police said the infant’s remains were found in a wooded area off Old Coach Road at about 3:20 p.m. AT Sunday.
The medical examiner is expected to determine the cause of death and formally confirm the infant’s identity on Monday, Bourdages said. Police have said the remains are believed to be connected to the case of the missing newborn.
The woman remains in hospital in critical condition. Bourdages said her injuries are believed to be related to giving birth, rather than an act of violence. He also said investigators have not yet been able to speak with her because of her condition.
Sukhpreet Singh, 23, described by police as a relative of the woman, and his wife, Ramandeep Kaur, 26, are scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court Monday. Both are charged with concealing the body of a child, obstruction and offering an indignity to a dead body.
Bourdages said cases involving children are difficult for first responders and the broader community. “It is hard for everybody in the community. It’s hard for everyone in the department,” he said Sunday outside police headquarters.
The investigation remains active, with the medical examiner’s findings expected to clarify the infant’s identity and cause of death.
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