The American tourist accused of throwing her newborn baby out a second-story window of a Paris hotel, k!lling the infant, has been identified as an 18-year-old Oregon woman.
Mia McQuillin, 18, was part of “a group of young people travelling in Europe” as part of a gap year between high school and college when she gave birth inside the Ibis Styles hotel in the city’s administrative district, French authorities said.
Authorities are investigating whether McQuillin, who grew up in a $1 million bungalow in Bend, was suffering a case of “denial of pregnancy” and was unaware she was pregnant or not able to accept she was pregnant when she allegedly tossed the infant out the window around 6 a.m. Monday morning, Feb. 24, authorities told DailyMail.
The newborn, which witnesses said still had the umbilical cord attached, was unable to be revived after the fall, authorities said.
The woman’s grandfather, Ralph McQuillin, told the DailyMail that he couldn’t comment on the horrific incident because “I don’t know anything.”
“And that’s pretty much where the family is,” he said. “That’s all I can say.”
McQuillin was travelling with a group of young adults through Europe as part of the EF Gap Year program, which allows people ages 18 to 22 to “experience the world” and “build real-world skills, make lifelong memories, and return home a better you,” according to the agency’s website.
The program costs between $19,500 to $24,750 for a semester and $43,750 for a whole year and takes students to far-off places including England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Australia and Thailand, according to their website.
EF Gap Year confirmed McQuillin’s participation to the Mirror, saying in a statement that they were “deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event.”
“We are fully cooperating with local authorities as they continue their investigation. Counselling support has been offered to all group members, and we are extending our support to the impacted families,” the group added.
A hotel worker, who said the baby was still alive while being rushed to the hospital, described waking up to a “nightmare.”
“It was still early this Monday morning. Around 6 a.m., this little piece of Paris woke up in the middle of a nightmare. I get chills just thinking about it,” they said.
“It’s awful. She had to give birth in the room, she wrapped the baby in a towel and threw him out the window. He was still alive when he left with the emergency services. But he is dead. We wonder what happened, it must be a denial of pregnancy,” they added.
McQuillin was reportedly placed in police custody Monday morning.
The US Embassy in Paris confirmed it was aware of reports of the arrest, and told the Mirror it was “closely monitoring this case.”