Boy, 6, made chilling hospital comment before 'killing newborn after dropping'

Irish Daily Mirror

17-07-2025

A six year old boy, suspected of causing the death of a newborn girl, was heard making a chilling remark before he is believed to have dropped the infant on a hospital floor.
The parents of Zayneb-Cassandra, who was born premature and barely a week old, said they will "stick together to the end" following their daughter's tragic passing. The horrifying incident occurred last Friday at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children's Hospital in Lille, France.
A criminal investigation has now been launched after the baby was rushed to intensive care but sadly declared dead on Tuesday due to a traumatic brain injury. The boy had already been reported as being a 'disruptive presence' within the hospital when he was found alone with the unconscious baby in a neonatal unit.
The child - the son of another mum on a maternity ward - was seen wandering into other rooms. Zayneb's grandmother claimed he then made a brief comment after entering the baby's room before being ushered out by her husband.
She told French outlet Voix du Nord: "He was entering the other rooms. He also entered Zayneb's room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out," reports the Mirror.
While Zayneb's grieving dad Mohamed-Hamza, 23, spoke of the trauma caused by the horrific incident. He told Le Parisien: "I have no words to describe my condition and that of my wife."
Mum Sephora, also 23, rang her husband to deliver the devastating news that their daughter had been caught up in an incident. "She told me our daughter had fallen to the floor... I burst into tears," Mohamed-Hamza recounted.
Sephora was finalising discharge documents last Friday when "all of a sudden, the family received a call from a ward manager, saying they needed to come right away – a little boy had been playing with the baby, who had fallen".
The family, referencing another mother in the adjacent room, reported "a loud bang" before discovering Zayneb unresponsive on the ground with the boy seated next to her on a chair.
Zayneb's grandmother disclosed: "It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head."
She continued: "The boy would arrive at 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways. All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child's mother that there was a problem."
The juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service has launched an inquiry. "Investigations are currently underway in this case," a representative for Lille prosecutors announced.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the hospital stated: "The thoughts of the University Hospital professionals are first and foremost with the young victim, her family, and her loved ones."
They further commented: "This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams of Lille University Children's Hospital, as well as the other families present."
The hospital also confirmed that it has implemented stringent measures to restrict visitors following the incident. It also revealed the launch of "an internal administrative investigation".
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