Trigger warning: This story contains content that may be distressing to some.
A five-day-old premature baby, Zayneb-Cassandra, has died from severe head injuries after being dropped in a neonatal unit at Jeanne-de-Flandre Hospital in Lille, France. The baby girl, born six weeks early via caesarean section, was declared brain-dead four days later. Her death has sparked a criminal investigation and serious questions over hospital safety and supervision of visitors to the hospital’s maternity ward.
What Happened to Zayneb-Cassandra?
Here’s a timeline of events, according to French media and multiple verified sources.
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July 6: Zayneb‑Cassandra, born about six weeks early via C-section to a 23‑year‑old mother, is admitted to the neonatal ward at Jeanne-de-Flandre Hospital.
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July 11: While Zayneb’s mother is signing discharge papers, a “loud bang” echoes through the ward. A nearby mother rushes over and finds the infant on the floor beside a chair, unresponsive and naked, her diaper and medical leads dislodged.
Emergency medical interventions including life support and resuscitation are attempted, but Zayneb soon suffers a severe cranio‑encephalic trauma.
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July 15: Zayneb is declared brain‑dead and dies later that day.
A Six-Year-Old Boy at the Centre of the Tragedy
The heartbreaking incident centres around a six-year-old boy who had been left unsupervised in the maternity ward for hours each day.
“The boy would arrive at hospital around 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways,” Zayneb-Cassandra’s grandmother told the Voix du Nord newspaper.
According to witnesses and Zayneb’s family, the boy’s father would drop him off at Jeanne-de-Flandre Hospital to be with his mother who had recently given birth. He would arrive at 7am and his father would not return until 8pm, leaving the child to roam freely through the hospital corridors, including the neonatal ward. He was regularly spotted touching babies, unplugging monitors, and climbing into cribs—with nurses and parents repeatedly raising concerns about his behaviour.
Zayneb’s grandfather told La Voix du Nord that the boy “walked around with a chair that he would stand on to disconnect the electrodes” from babies.
“The boy would arrive at 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways.
“All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child’s mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms.
“He also entered Zayneb’s room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out.”
He had also previously referred to Zayneb as “my doll.”
Witnesses claim that on the morning of the incident, the boy climbed into her crib and tried to pick her up by the nappy. The baby fell headfirst to the ground.
Jeanne-de-Flandre Hospital Responds
The hospital has confirmed the boy was found near Zayneb’s cot at the time of the fall and has launched an internal investigation. They described it as a “serious administrative incident” and said new restrictions around visitor access have since been introduced.
“This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams… as well as the families present.”
Many parents had already reported the boy’s presence and erratic behaviour in the days leading up to the incident. It remains unclear why no stronger action was taken to prevent him from accessing the ward.
Legal and Criminal Investigation Underway
French police have opened a formal criminal investigation, led by the juvenile division of the Lille Judicial Police. Prosecutors confirmed that the boy was found beside the baby at the time of the incident.
Authorities will now examine who bears responsibility for allowing the boy to remain unsupervised in a ward meant to protect the most vulnerable infants. This includes potential liability on the part of hospital staff, the boy’s family, and administrators.
Family Devastated and Demanding Accountability
Zayneb’s family say the tragedy was entirely preventable.
Her grandmother added, “We warned them. All the mothers saw what he was doing. We were told not to worry.”
A cousin also said Zayneb had been neglected prior to the fall, once found cold and wet with no nappy or monitors. “She had already been mistreated, and no one seemed to care.”
“I don’t blame the boy. I don’t blame his mother either. But that child should never have been roaming the halls alone. That is the hospital’s responsibility.”
Larger Concerns Around Hospital Safety
This tragedy has ignited serious concern across France around security in neonatal units. Although most hospitals enforce strict visitation policies, this case shows that enforcement may be inconsistent.
Medical professionals and the public alike are questioning how a six-year-old child was allowed to interact with newborns—unsupervised—for days before something went horribly wrong.
Heartbroken Family Focusses on Moving Forward
Zayneb-Cassandra’s death has left her family heartbroken and the public demanding answers.
“We came to the hospital to bring our daughter home. Instead, we left with a coffin.”
An innocent life was lost, and now the world watches as investigations unfold—searching for answers, accountability, and the changes needed to ensure no other family endures this unthinkable pain.
1 Comment
If they have the equivalent of a Child Welfare Dept, staff should have contacted them about the child being left there. The father left the 6 y.o. child unsupervised. At that age shouldn’t he have been at school unless it was school holidays. It is not the hospital staff’s responsibility to mind a child who shouldn’t have been at the hospital.