Authorities Identify Parents Over a Month After Dead Infant Found in Beckum

More than a month after the discovery of a dead infant along a field path in Beckum, police and prosecutors have successfully identified and located the child's parents. The 37-year-old father and 42-year-old mother, both residents of Hamm, were taken into custody on Tuesday but were released after a few hours because authorities determined there was no urgent ground for suspicion at this stage.

The tragic case began on September 26 when passersby discovered the newborn baby girl wrapped in a sauna towel and placed inside a gray shopping bag by the roadside. Because her identity and origins were completely unknown at the time, investigators gave her the name Alina. She was later laid to rest in a white coffin during a public memorial service at the municipal cemetery in Beckum, which drew more than 100 mourners and raised widespread public awareness.

Authorities were able to track down the parents through a DNA match. The father was already known to law enforcement, meaning a DNA sample was already available in police databases. According to prosecutors, the mother stated during interrogations that she had hidden her pregnancy from everyone and given birth to the child alone inside her apartment. She claimed the baby showed no signs of life.

The spokesperson for the prosecutor's office noted that the preliminary autopsy results support the mother's account with high probability, indicating that the infant was likely born dead. Meanwhile, the father told investigators that he had no knowledge of his partner's pregnancy. He stated that he discovered a foul-smelling bag in the basement and decided to dispose of it, completely unaware that his deceased daughter was inside when he left it by the field path in Beckum.

Although the autopsy revealed evidence pointing to possible physical force, officials noted that the facial injuries could alternatively have occurred during the birth process itself. Investigators emphasize that while manslaughter proceedings remain active, the current lack of an urgent warrant for formal arrest led to the immediate release of both individuals from police custody following their brief detention.

The Dortmund prosecutor's office has formally taken over the case due to the suspected location of the birth in Hamm and the official residence of the accused couple. Law enforcement agencies are continuing to analyze the physical findings, medical evaluations, and statements from both parents to fully reconstruct the timeline of events following the birth and to determine the precise circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the infant's remains.