Gardai are investigating what the Master of the Coombe Women's Hospital has described as a "sinister" incident when the remains of seven miscarried foetuses were reported stolen - and later found concealed in the hospital mortuary.
The apparent theft was discovered yesterday when a nurse went to dress one of the foetuses for burial. There was no evidence of a break-in. The mortuary was searched "with a fine-toothed comb" by the director of pathology and someone who knew the mortuary well, according to the Master of the hospital, Dr Sean Daly. They found nothing.
The gardai were called in and Dr Daly visited the families to inform them of the apparent theft. While travelling he got a call informing him that RTE had been told about the theft. Two of the families were no longer living in the State, but Dr Daly contacted the remaining five, who were very distressed.
A full Garda investigation was launched, and technical experts were called in. At about 8 p.m. they discovered the remains in the mortuary. According to Dr Daly, they were hidden in a compartment which the director of pathology did not know existed. He said most of the premature babies measured only a few centimetres.
He said when a woman miscarried she had an evacuation procedure. To ensure she did not have cancer, which could cause a miscarriage, a sample was sent to the laboratory. If a tiny foetus was found, the family were informed and it was placed in a freezer pending the parents' decision on a cremation or burial.
Asked why anyone would hide remains in this way, Dr Daly said he would be reluctant to interpret the facts at this stage, but added: "It's sinister and very unusual. It's unprecedented."