Newborn Dies After Allegedly Being Dropped by Unattended Child in French Hospital

What should have been a peaceful start to life turned into a devastating tragedy at Jeanne-de-Flandre Children’s Hospital in Lille, France. Five-day-old Zayneb-Cassandra died after sustaining a critical brain injury, allegedly caused by a six-year-old child who was left unsupervised in the hospital’s maternity ward.

A Horrific Discovery

On the morning of Friday, July 11, staff found baby Zayneb unconscious on the floor beside her crib. The infant was immediately placed on life support, undergoing two rounds of resuscitation. Despite efforts to save her, she succumbed to her injuries the following Tuesday.

According to the Lille prosecutor’s office, the baby’s injuries were “consistent with a fall to the floor.” Although an official cause of death hasn’t been publicly declared, investigators believe the baby was removed from her crib by a six-year-old boy and dropped.

The Boy Was Unsupervised

Authorities confirmed that a six-year-old, unrelated to the baby’s family, was seen standing on a chair beside Zayneb’s crib. Witnesses say the child had been wandering the hospital wards freely for days, often without adult supervision.

A fellow patient, Delphine, who had recently given birth, reported hearing a loud noise before rushing into the room and finding the baby on the floor and the child nearby. She told Le Parisien that the boy had been behaving erratically, touching other newborns and running through the corridors.

Repeated Warnings Ignored

Zayneb was born prematurely by C-section to parents Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora. Family members allege that hospital staff had been warned multiple times about the boy’s disturbing behavior.

“He kept calling Zayneb ‘my doll’ and had already been found in her room the day before the incident,” said Karima, a cousin of Zayneb’s father. “She was found without a diaper or monitoring electrodes and suffering from hypothermia.”

Karima and other relatives say the boy had become obsessed with the baby and that complaints had been made to both staff and the child’s family.

A Preventable Tragedy

Family members also criticized the lack of supervision. The boy was reportedly dropped off by his father each morning and left to roam unsupervised until evening. Zayneb’s grandmother, Fatma, stated: “He was there from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., running through the halls. Everyone complained, but nothing was done.”

Witnesses recalled the boy entering other patients’ rooms, including Zayneb’s. “He tried to grab her by her nappy,” said Fatma. “She fell on her head.”

Zayneb’s father, Mohamed-Hamza, said he doesn’t blame the child or his recovering mother, but holds the hospital accountable. “A six-year-old can be disruptive—but that’s why he should have been supervised,” he told Le Parisien.

Investigations Underway

Following the tragedy, Lille’s judicial police and youth protection unit have opened a criminal investigation. The hospital has also launched an internal administrative review.

A hospital spokesperson described the incident as a “deeply distressing and exceptional event,” while announcing new precautions, including restricted access to neonatal wards.

Zayneb’s grieving parents rejected the hospital’s statement, saying they are still waiting for accountability.

“It won’t bring my daughter back,” said her father. “But someone failed, and I will fight to find out who. Justice will do its work.”