An 18-year-old American woman from Oregon has been identified as the suspect in the tragic death of her newborn baby, who was thrown from a second-story hotel window in Paris.
Mia McQuillin, who was traveling with a group of young adults as part of a gap year program, is accused of tossing the infant from the window of the Ibis Styles hotel on the morning of February 24.
Authorities are investigating whether McQuillin, who grew up in a $1 million home in Bend, Oregon, was suffering from “denial of pregnancy.”
They are exploring whether she may not have realized she was pregnant or struggled to accept it. The baby, still attached to the umbilical cord, fell from the window around 6 a.m. and was rushed to the hospital but could not be revived.
McQuillin had been participating in the EF Gap Year program, a travel program that allows young adults to experience the world and build life skills.
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The program, which costs between $19,500 and $43,750, brings participants to various countries in Europe and beyond. The program confirmed McQuillin’s involvement and expressed their shock and sadness over the tragedy.
A hotel worker described the horrifying scene, recalling that the baby was still alive when emergency services arrived but sadly died shortly after.
The worker suggested that McQuillin might have been experiencing a severe psychological response to her pregnancy, leading to the tragic incident.
McQuillin was taken into police custody after the incident, and the U.S. Embassy in Paris confirmed it was monitoring the case.
The family of the young woman has not commented, and her grandfather, Ralph McQuillin, stated he had no information about the event.
