Nurse rearrested for alleged murder of 8 babies and attempted murder of 3 more at hospital's neo-natal unit
Police have rearrested a nurse who was suspected of having murdered eight infants after they uncovered new evidence that suggests she may have been involved in the deaths of several more.
According to Daily Mail, 28-year-old Lucy Letby was first arrested last July by detectives investigating the deaths of eight infants and the attempted murder of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Now, police say she has been rearrested because she may have been responsible for the attempted murder of three more infants at the hospital's neo-natal unit. Detectives also said the 28-year-old was possibly behind the non-fatal collapses of another 16 infants.
Speaking about the development, Cheshire Police Detective Inspector Paul Hughes said, "As part of our ongoing investigation we have today rearrested the healthcare professional on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies."
"She has also been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of three additional babies," he continued. "The woman is currently in custody helping officers with their inquiries."
The Sun reported that the initial probe was launched in May 2017 after the hospital trust raised an alarm following an unusually high number of deaths in the neo-natal ward between March 2015 and July 2016. Detectives had looked into the deaths of 14 babies who had collapsed with heart and lung failure and proved impossible to resuscitate. These babies had also developed strange blotches on their arms and legs after their deaths.
Letby was subsequently arrested on July 4, 2018, and forensic officers searched her $229,000 home for evidence connecting her to the crimes. However, she was released just two days later on bail. Hughes, who is in charge of the investigation, said the authorities were still doing everything "as quickly as we can" to identify the cause behind the deaths and collapses of the infants at the hospital.
"Due to the nature of this investigation, it is extremely challenging but it is important to remember that it is very much active and ongoing — there are no set timescales and we remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation as soon as possible," he said. "At this stage, we are unable to go into any further details about the investigation but as soon as we can provide any further updates we will do."
If Letby is convicted of the murders, she will become one of Britain's most prolific child killers.