In a shocking case that has left a small community in eastern France reeling, police have taken a 50-year-old woman into custody after two newborn bodies were found in a freezer at a family home. The grim discovery happened on Tuesday, February 10, when a man—believed to be the father or a relative—called authorities after spotting one infant’s body in the freezer of his residence in Aillevillers-et-Lyaumont, a quiet town in the Haute-Saône department. When gendarmes arrived, they uncovered a second newborn’s remains in the same freezer.

Suspicion quickly fell on the woman, who had reportedly left the family home abruptly in December without explanation. She was tracked down and arrested on Wednesday in Boulogne-Billancourt, a western suburb of Paris, where one of her sons lives, and has since been placed in police custody.

During questioning, the suspect admitted to giving birth to the two infants and freezing their bodies shortly afterward, according to Besançon prosecutor Cédric Logelin. She reportedly expressed remorse, saying she was “sorry for her children” and her family, and was seen crying frequently during interviews. The births are thought to have occurred between 2011 and 2018, though investigators are still working to confirm exact details.

The woman is the mother of nine children from previous relationships. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday to determine the precise circumstances and cause of death for the infants. Authorities have opened an investigation into suspected infanticide, marking another tragic case in a series of similar incidents that have emerged in France in recent years.

The discovery has deeply shaken the local community in Aillevillers-et-Lyaumont, with some local media describing the village as already burdened by past violent incidents.