Trial resumes over newborn found dead at Nickelsdorf crossing

The trial over the death of a newborn found at the Nickelsdorf border crossing resumed on Thursday, with a verdict expected in the evening, ORF reported. The baby was found behind a transformer station at the crossing in January.

The then 17-year-old mother is accused of killing the baby during birth. Her sister, brother, brother-in-law and mother are charged with involvement in murder. All five have pleaded not guilty.

Three police officers described the investigation in court. Two men found the baby on 18 January 2026, with bloodied clothing nearby. Investigators used surveillance footage from a petrol station at the crossing and the registration number of a minibus shown in the footage to identify the defendants.

According to the prosecution, the family was travelling from Romania to Germany in the minibus on 17 January when the young woman went into labour. They stopped in a car park at the crossing, where the baby was allegedly born in the vehicle. Prosecutors say the mother throttled and struck the newborn. An autopsy found that the girl was healthy and had lived for at least several minutes before dying from a traumatic brain injury.

The prosecution says surveillance footage shows the now 18-year-old leaving the minibus shortly after 10 p.m. with a bag and being led by her mother to the transformer station where the baby was found the next day. The other family members allegedly kept watch during the birth. Footage also shows them disposing of a bloodied mattress, according to the prosecution.

The defendants gave a different account. They said the young woman had hidden her pregnancy, possibly because she was ashamed of having no partner, and gave birth alone without the others knowing. She allegedly told them the blood was from her period. The young woman denies killing the baby and says she thought it was stillborn. She says the head injuries occurred when the baby slipped from her hands as she left it behind the transformer station.

If convicted, the young woman, who was a minor at the time, faces up to two and a half years in prison. Her relatives could face sentences of 10 to 20 years, or life imprisonment, except for her 20-year-old brother, who cannot be sentenced to life, according to the report. Prosecutors have not yet identified an older man also seen in the minibus footage.