German police say bodies of 8 babies found at house in Bavaria, unclear how they died

BERLIN – The bodies of eight babies have been found at an apartment in a Bavarian town, German police said Friday.

A local woman contacted emergency services after finding one body on Thursday afternoon at the apartment in Wallenfels, police said. Police then found several more bodies in a room at the apartment.

Police and prosecutors initially said they believed there were seven bodies. Later Friday, they said an eighth set of remains had been found — like the others, wrapped in towels and plastic bags.

The bodies are being examined by forensic experts, but the examinations “will take some time in view of their poor condition, in some cases,” and results shouldn’t be expected before the beginning of next week, a statement from police and prosecutors said.

Authorities so far have been unable to find the property’s former resident, a 45-year-old woman, but are questioning several other people, police said.

They added that she is being sought as the possible mother of the infants but wouldn’t say whether she is a suspect, news agency dpa reported.

It was unclear how long the babies had been dead or who, if anyone, was living in the apartment at the time of the discovery.

Wallenfels has nearly 3,000 inhabitants and is located in a rural area of northeastern Bavaria.