Premature Baby Dies After Being Dropped by Unsupervised 6-Year-Old Boy at French Hospital
- Victor Nwoko
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
A tragic incident at Jeanne-de-Flandre Children’s Hospital in Lille, France, has claimed the life of a premature infant after a 6-year-old boy, left unsupervised by his mother, entered the neonatal unit and fatally dropped the baby.
The infant, identified as Cassandra Zayneb, was born via caesarean section on July 6, two months premature, to a 23-year-old first-time mother. Hospital officials confirmed the baby was declared brain dead and subsequently pronounced dead on Tuesday after the child slammed her head on the floor of the neonatal unit.
According to witnesses, the 6-year-old boy—described by hospital staff and other parents as disruptive—lifted the baby by her diaper and dropped her to the floor. A mother in a nearby room reported hearing a loud bang before hospital staff discovered the unresponsive infant at the child’s feet.
Family members of the deceased infant say the boy had previously entered the room uninvited and remarked that the newborn “looked like a doll.” The baby’s grandfather reportedly escorted the child out of the room during that earlier visit. Other mothers in the ward had allegedly raised repeated complaints to staff about the boy’s constant unsupervised presence in the corridors and his tendency to enter patients' rooms.
“He would arrive in the morning at 7 a.m. and spent his time running around the corridors all day,” the baby’s grandmother said, expressing deep frustration over the hospital’s failure to take action despite staff warnings. “This should never have happened. We’re all very shocked, especially his mother.”
The Lille Judicial Police Service has opened a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death. In addition, Jeanne-de-Flandre Children’s Hospital announced it would launch an internal inquiry into hospital protocols and supervision failures.
The baby’s grieving family has called on authorities to hold those responsible accountable and has confirmed they are filing a formal complaint.
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