Newborn Baby Dies After Alleged Fall by Unsupervised 6-Year-Old in French Hospital: Referred to Her as 'My Doll'

A six-year-old boy who killed a newborn baby girl in a maternity ward had referred to her as 'my doll'

A six-year-old boy left unsupervised in a maternity ward at Jeanne-de-Flandre Children’s Hospital in Lille, France, is believed to have fatally injured a newborn baby girl after reportedly lifting her from her crib and accidentally dropping her. The tragic event has ignited a storm of grief, outrage, and demands for accountability from the child’s devastated family.

The newborn, Zayneb-Cassandra, had been recovering well after being born six weeks prematurely. However, last Friday, she was found unresponsive on the floor next to her crib with severe brain trauma. Witnesses reported that a six-year-old boy was discovered beside her, standing on a chair. He is believed to have removed her from her crib and dropped her, possibly on her head.

Zayneb’s grieving father Mohamed-Hamza is calling for justice

The baby was resuscitated twice and placed on life support, but she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday. According to multiple witnesses, the boy had been wandering the hospital halls unsupervised for days. One woman said he had already attempted to touch another infant prior to the incident.

Delphine, a 20-year-old mother who had recently given birth at the hospital, reported hearing a loud noise before discovering the scene. She found the boy standing over the injured baby, referring to Zayneb as "my doll." The boy’s mother was reportedly recovering from childbirth herself and unable to supervise him, while the child’s father allegedly left him at the hospital daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Zayneb’s father, Mohamed-Hamza, 23, expressed sorrow but refrained from blaming the boy, saying: “Every six-year-old is a little disruptive. I don’t blame the mother; she had just given birth… But the child should have been supervised.” He and his partner, Sephora, are now demanding answers from hospital officials, accusing them of negligence and failure to protect their daughter.

The dad's cousin Karima claims the baby had been found 'without a diaper or electrodes' day before her tragic death

Fatma, the baby's grandmother, claimed the boy had previously entered the neonatal unit and shown an unusual interest in Zayneb. “He said she looked like a doll,” she recalled. “It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head.”

Karima, a cousin of the baby’s father, further alleged that just a day before the incident, Zayneb had been found “without a diaper or electrodes, wet and suffering from hypothermia,” suggesting signs of earlier mishandling. Multiple mothers in the unit had reportedly complained to staff about the boy’s behavior. One nurse is said to have warned the child’s mother that there was an issue, citing his habit of entering other patient rooms unsupervised.

In the wake of the tragedy, the juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service has launched a criminal investigation, while the hospital has opened an internal review. The hospital issued a statement calling the incident a “particularly serious and upsetting exceptional event, unrelated to care.” However, the family has dismissed the explanation as insufficient.

Cops in France have since launched a probe into the tragic incident

“It won’t bring my daughter back… But we’re waiting for answers,” said Mohamed-Hamza. “There was a breach, and I’m going to fight to identify those responsible. Justice will do its job.”

Zayneb’s mother, Sephora, is reportedly inconsolable. Family members claim they had to demand psychological support for her after the baby’s death. “My family is destroyed,” said Fatma. “Coming home without her baby is inconceivable.”