Mother of abandoned baby Marie comes forward

The mother of the baby found abandoned by the side of the road by a bus driver in Sint-Truiden last month has turned herself in to the police. The baby, given the name Marie Peeters by hospital staff, was found by a De Lijn driver on 18 August. 

The woman had gone to a Limburg hospital at the weekend with a serious medical condition. Doctors examining her realised she had recently given birth and were able to link her to the foundling. She agreed to go to the police.

Prosecutors have already filed a charge of attempted murder against the unidentified mother, as a means of accessing the full investigative power of the law. Whether any charges will in fact be brought remains to be seen. The prosecutor’s office has declined to comment “in the interests of a very delicate investigation and in the interests of mother and child”.

Marie, who was in good health when she was found, has now left hospital and is living with a foster family. One of the first jobs for investigators will be to determine if the woman is actually the mother of the child. Last week it was reported that an anonymous benefactor had donated a “very large sum of money,” reported to be €2,500, for her upbringing.

Photo: Police on the scene where baby Marie was found last month
©Jef Croughs/Gazet van Antwerpen