WTF?!?: Nurse Arrested On Suspicion Of Murdering 8 Newborn Babies

Gurney in hospital hallway

Nurse Arrested In Connection To Murder Of Multiple Babies

A British nurse was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly murdering eight newborn babies and trying to kill six others in a UK hospital’s neonatal unit, according to shocking reports.

28-year-oldLucy Letby allegedly engaged in the killing spree at Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, England. Letby wasn’t named by police but she was identified in news reports in the UK.

The suspect is now in custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder charges, but has not been formally charged. Letby’s arrest reportedly shocked both friends and co-workers, who said that she was devoted to the job and the infants in her care.

One friend, Jordan Sands, who knows Letby through a former girlfriend, told the Times of London, “She was quite awkward and geeky but seemed like a kindhearted person.” Another called Letby “an amazing person.” The nurse was also active in a $4 million fundraising campaign to build a new neo­natal unit at the hospital.

In May 2017, the hospital in Chester asked police to investigate a sudden, unexplained mortality-rate spike in the unit that houses premature babies and those needing special care. When doctors couldn’t determine how they died, the police were asked to rule out “unnatural causes of death.”

The probe initially focused on the deaths of eight babies, but authorities said Tuesday it now includes the deaths of 17 and 15 “nonfatal collapses” (when an infant’s health severely declines but the child survives) between March 2015 and July 2016.

“Whilst this is a significant step forward in our inquiries it is important to remember that the investigation is very much active and ongoing at this stage,” said Detective Inspector Paul Hughes. “At the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children,” he said.

Countess of Chester Hospital cares for some 400 infants in its neonatal unit annually.