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French Woman Who Hid Baby in Car Trunk Goes on Trial, Faces 20 Years

File this under “horrible people do horrible things.” A French woman who hid her baby in the trunk of her car for 2 whole years has gone on trial and is facing 20 years behind bars, if convicted.
Rosa-Maria Da Cruz hid her daughter in a car trunk for 2 whole years, since birth 6 photos
Photo: sudouest.fr / STÉPHANE KLEIN
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Rosa-Maria Da Cruz hid her pregnancy and the birth from her husband and her 3 other children, the BBC reports, citing existing police records. She then kept the baby, a girl she named Serena, locked away in a room of the house and in the trunk of the car.

She would even travel with the baby girl locked inside the trunk, and it was this what eventually exposed her as the vile human being she was. Da Cruz took her car in for repairs and one of the mechanics heard strange noises coming from the back. When he went round and opened the trunk, he was welcomed by a foul smell and saw a 2-year-old girl lying in her own excrement. She was feverish and had visible developmental problems.

That was in 2014. Upon her arrest, Da Cruz admitted to what she’d done, saying the girl was “not a baby but a thing (...), a thing that had to be discovered to live.” She also said she “started talking [to the child] at the age of 18 months, because she had smiled [to her].”

Da Cruz’s trial started yesterday and she’s facing 20 years in jail if she’s found guilty. She’s been charged with repeated violence against a minor causing permanent disability. The report doesn’t say whether she has any diagnosed mental issues.

The girl remains in special care, while the other 3 children were temporarily placed in foster care and eventually released in their parents’ custody. The case against the husband, who claimed he never knew of the existence of the baby girl, was dismissed.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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