- In the quest to aid displaced individuals, tragically, two Ukrainian women lose their lives.
The Mannheim Public Prosecutor's Office Charges in Hockenheim Baby Swap Case
The murder of two Ukrainian women, a 27-year-old and her 51-year-old mother, has led to a couple being charged in North Baden. The couple, aged 44 and 43, are accused of killing the women in March to claim their five-week-old grandchild as their own. They are also charged with child abduction.
Hockenheim Tragedy: A Baby Desire Unfulfilled?
As per the prosecutor's office, the couple had a strong desire for a daughter and by March 2023 at the latest, they allegedly decided to kidnap a newborn girl and raise her as their own.
The wife reportedly sought out connections with Ukrainian refugees and joined a Telegram group to support them. Through this, she met the 27-year-old, who was seeking assistance for her baby's upcoming birth. The mother, grandmother, and baby were residing in a refugee camp in the Rhine-Neckar district at the time of the crime.
They claimed to be taking the grandmother to the hospital
After the baby's birth in February, the couple allegedly planned to kill the mother and grandmother to pass off the baby as their own. According to investigations, the suspects secretly administered sedative medication to the two women during a restaurant visit on March 6.
When the 51-year-old began feeling unwell, the couple reportedly took the 27-year-old and the baby home, claiming they were taking the grandmother to the hospital. Instead, they drove her to a fishing lake near Bad Schönborn. The man is said to have struck the woman several times on the head with an unknown object and drowned her in the lake. She died from her head injuries.
The couple then allegedly took the 27-year-old and her baby, claiming that their mother had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. They drove to Hockenheim, near the Rhine dam, where the man is said to have beaten the young woman to death. The couple then set her body on fire and drove home with the baby.
The Investigators Find the Baby with the Couple – Unharmed
On March 7, a passerby discovered the 27-year-old's body on the riverbank. On March 13, the couple was arrested, and investigators found the baby unharmed. On March 19, the grandmother's body was found in the lake by police divers. The couple remains in custody and has not yet commented on the charges.
The baby, now around seven months old, lived with a foster family for several months. In early summer, the 21-year-old sister of the victims took over guardianship. At the end of June, she returned to Ukraine with the baby. The adoption process has begun, but it could take months to complete.
The couple, who have been charged with murder, were alleged to have killed the 27-year-old mother and her 51-year-old grandmother in March to claim their grandchild as their own. Following their arrest, the grandmother's body was discovered in the lake by police divers.
