Newborn baby is found dead after mother placed the girl in a washing machine, sparking murder probe
- Nadezhda Z, 31, gave birth to fourth child prematurely during the night
- Husband found wife covered in blood in the morning and called authorities
- The 31-year-old mother said baby was not alive at birth
Zadezhda Z, pictured above, is facing murder charges over the death of her newborn baby
A woman is facing a murder investigation after her newborn baby was found dead in a washing machine.
Hairdresser Nadezhda Z, 31, gave birth to her fourth child prematurely during the night, Russian authorities said in an official report.
Her husband Denis called the ambulance in the morning after seeing his wife covered in blood, inside their home in the Talitsa, Sverdlovsk region.
A police source confirmed the baby had been put into the washing machine, and a murder investigation has been launched.
The mother, who is currently in hospital, said her baby was stillborn.
She is facing charges over the murder of her newborn child which under article 106 of the Russian Criminal Code, could lead to up to five years in jail.
Nadezhda who is well known in her town as a popular hairdresser was described by friends as a ‘good mother’.
Zadezhda, Z and her husband Denis, who called the ambulance in the morning after seeing his wife covered in blood
Friends described Nadezhda Z as a hardworking and caring mother who they could not believe was capable of killing her baby in such a way
She has a son by a previous marriage, and two daughters from her current husband.
Elena Firtseva, a friend of Nadezhda, told to Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper: ‘Nadezhda is hardworking and caring mother.
‘There was no reason to kill the baby and in such a cruel way. She told me that the child was born prematurely and was stillborn.’
Another friend told local newspaper E1: ‘I saw her recently when she was pregnant…
‘Maybe the family had some quarrels, but this was not visible,’ she said. ‘I would never think she could do this.’
Authorities were called to the home in the Talitsa, Sverdlovsk region in Russia