In a deeply unsettling event in Saint-Étienne, a city in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, residents of an apartment complex were jolted awake in the early hours of Sunday, March 24, by faint, distressing cries that unmistakably resembled those of a newborn.
At approximately 4:30 a.m., alarmed neighbors stepped outside and encountered a chilling sight—trails of fresh blood leading toward the building’s trash area, a poorly lit corridor that descends into the basement. Fearing a tragedy, they immediately alerted emergency services.
The presence of fresh blood and the sound of crying made it clear: a baby had just been born.
First responders from the Départemental Fire and Rescue Service of Loire (SDIS), along with a team from the Loire Samu, arrived quickly. What they discovered was heartbreaking—a newborn baby, abandoned and suffering from hypothermia, still connected to the umbilical cord.
A doctor on the scene provided immediate, life-saving care. According to France Bleu, the infant, despite the traumatic start to life, was in remarkably good condition and not in danger.
The baby was transported to CHU hospital in Saint-Étienne and remains under close medical supervision. Authorities have opened an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the abandonment and to identify those responsible.
