Trial set for five accused over dead newborn found at border

A trial will begin on October 21 against five people accused in the death of a newborn found at the Nickelsdorf border crossing in January, ORF reported Monday. The proceedings before the Eisenstadt Regional Court are scheduled to last two days, and a verdict could be delivered on October 22.

The defendants are the 17-year-old mother of the baby and four of her relatives. Prosecutors accuse the teenager of killing a child at birth and the four relatives of participating in a murder.

The hearings are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days in Courtroom 1, the largest courtroom at the regional court. All five defendants are currently in pre-trial detention.

According to the allegations, the group was travelling together in a minibus. The 17-year-old is alleged to have briefly left the vehicle at the Nickelsdorf border crossing to place the dead baby in a carrier. The other family members allegedly acted as lookouts and helped remove traces from the scene. They are the teenager’s mother, sister, brother and brother-in-law.

Travellers found the baby girl on January 18, 2026. An autopsy found that she had been born alive and died as a result of injuries inflicted by another person. The cause of death was identified as traumatic brain injury.

Four suspects, including the baby’s mother, were initially arrested in mid-February. The mother and two other Romanian women were located in Germany and transferred to Austria. A man was arrested in Romania, while a fifth suspect was located in Germany in mid-May.