Source: Alija / Getty
A “healthcare professional” was arrested Tuesday on the suspicion of murdering 8 babies. Her arrest is said to be linked to “Operation Hummingbird,” which is looking into the sudden and unexplained deaths of babies at Countess of Chester Hospital in Britain.
“Asking the police to look into this was not something we did lightly, but we need to do everything we can to understand what has happened here and get the answers we and the families so desperately want,” Ian Harvey, medical director at Countess of Chester, told the Washington Post in a statement. “We are continuing to support Cheshire Police with their ongoing investigation.”
The investigation began after 17 babies died at the hospital between March 2015 and July 2016. There were also 15 “non-fatal collapses.”
While police have released very few details regarding the investigation, they are working alongside doctors and medical experts to understand the causes of death, says the Washington Post.
“This is an extremely difficult time for all the families, and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children,” said Cheshire Police Detective Inspector Paul Hughes, who is overseeing the investigation.
Hughes added that the case is “highly complex and very sensitive” and that his detective team is doing “everything we possibly can to try to establish in detail what has led to these baby deaths and collapses.”
