(The baby was kept in a drawer by her mother)
On a certain morning in February 2023, in Cheshire, England, a man returned to his girlfriend’s house to use the restroom. Suddenly, he heard sounds resembling a baby’s cries coming from upstairs. Following the noise, he found a strange baby girl in a bedroom…
The baby girl looked about seven months old and was in a terrible state with matted hair, deformities, rashes, and a cleft palate. 
After the man called the police, a social worker arrived first and was shocked by the sight.
The social worker saw a baby girl sitting in a drawer under the bed, staring up at her, rocking back and forth. The drawer was lined with a sheet, seemingly her usual sleeping place.
Later, the man’s girlfriend also returned home, admitting that she was the baby’s mother. However, the baby was not seven months old but was about to turn three years old in a few weeks. For the past three years, she had been keeping the child in the drawer.
She seemed to see nothing wrong with this. When the social worker confirmed the situation, she responded matter-of-factly, “Yes, in the drawer,” without showing any emotion.
The social worker later learned that before the child was discovered that day, she had not seen any other faces besides her mother’s, had never been outdoors, and had not been exposed to sunlight or fresh air, surviving in this cramped space…
After the baby was rescued, doctors conducted a thorough examination and found numerous issues…
She couldn’t crawl or walk, couldn’t speak or make any sounds for communication, was malnourished, severely dehydrated, had muscle laxity, weak limbs, swollen feet, and an abnormal posture.
She was developmentally delayed, equivalent to a 10-month-old baby, and suffered from a cleft palate and other health problems, which her mother had neglected, never seeking any treatment…
(The baby lived in the drawer for nearly three years)
Now that the matter has come to light, the mother has finally been arrested by the police. During the interrogation, she revealed that she was unaware of her pregnancy and was very frightened. The child was born in her bathtub in March 2020.
Due to an abusive relationship with the child’s father, she did not want him to know about the baby’s existence, so she concealed the birth and never registered the child. It was clear she harbored resentment towards the child, even telling the police, “She’s not part of this family.”
For reasons unknown, she also hid the baby from her own family. To prevent her other children and new boyfriend from discovering her, she hid the baby in a drawer under the bed.
Whenever her boyfriend stayed over, she would move the baby to another room, leaving her to fend for herself, providing inadequate water and food, occasionally feeding her cereal and milk with a syringe, and changing her diapers.
When she went to work or took her other children to school, she would leave the baby alone in the drawer for hours on end. On Christmas Eve, she only took her other children to their grandparents’ house, leaving the baby at home overnight.
Given the circumstances, it’s a miracle the child survived three years…
(The case was heard at Chester Crown Court)
Thankfully, this poor child is now out of danger, receiving round-the-clock care. It appears it will take some time for her to return to normal.
The caregivers revealed that the baby needs to be taught how to smile and does not understand what food is. When placed on a swing, she just sat there, not knowing what to do or what to expect. “Her first steps, her first words… These things she should have experienced long ago are all new to her, which is truly heartbreaking.”
The mother’s cruel treatment of her own flesh and blood has crossed all moral boundaries, sparking outrage.
The judge angrily condemned her in court: “Your actions are beyond belief, unimaginably evil. You deprived that little girl of all love, care, and attention, allowing her no interaction with others, no proper nutrition, or the medical care she desperately needed.”
“This has had catastrophic consequences for the child, physically, mentally, and socially. She is now slowly recovering from a state akin to a ‘living dead’.”
The mother tried to defend herself, claiming she didn’t always keep the baby in the drawer under the bed and that the drawer was never closed. But whether true or not, it does not cover up the fact of child abuse.
Ultimately, she gave up resistance and, at a previous hearing, pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse, receiving a sentence of seven and a half years for “extreme negligence.”
She must now pay the price for her actions, while her pitiful daughter has a long life ahead to heal…
