French Woman Admits to Killing 8 Babies

In a disturbing turn of events, French mother Dominique Cottrez has confessed to smothering the eight babies whose remains were found on Wednesday, the BBC reports. She allegedly killed the newborns between 1989 and 2006. Both she and her husband were initially arrested in connection with the children’s bodies, which were discovered and reported by the couple’s neighbors—but following Mrs. Cottrez’s confession, during which she assured police that her husband knew nothing about the murders, he’s been released. Mrs. Cottrez said that her first birth was difficult because of her weight, and that afterward she didn’t want to see any more doctors. Mr. Cottrez said he never noticed that his wife was pregnant. According to the BBC, France has seen a series of infanticides in recent years, including a mother who confessed in March to killing six of her newborn children and hiding them in her cellar.