An American tourist accused of throwing her newborn baby out of a second-story window at a Paris hotel, resulting in the infant’s death, has been identified as 18-year-old Mia McQuillin from Oregon.
According to French authorities, McQuillin was traveling in Europe as part of a gap-year program when she gave birth inside the Ibis Styles hotel in the city’s administrative district.
Officials are investigating whether she experienced “denial of pregnancy”—a condition where an individual is unaware or unable to accept, they are pregnant—before allegedly tossing the infant out the window around 6 a.m. on Monday, February 24.
Eyewitnesses reported that the newborn, still attached to its umbilical cord, was unresponsive after the fall and could not be revived.
McQuillin, who grew up in a $1 million bungalow in Bend, Oregon, was part of the EF Gap Year program, which offers young adults ages 18 to 22 opportunities to travel and develop life skills.
The program costs between $19,500 to $24,750 for a semester and up to $43,750 for a full year, taking participants to destinations such as England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Australia, and Thailand.
EF Gap Year confirmed McQuillin’s involvement and expressed their shock and sadness over the incident. “We are fully cooperating with local authorities as they continue their investigation. Counseling support has been offered to all group members, and we are extending our support to the impacted families,” the organization said in a statement.
A hotel worker described the tragic scene, saying, “It was still early Monday morning. Around 6 a.m., this little piece of Paris woke up in the middle of a nightmare. I get chills just thinking about it.”
Reports indicate that McQuillin was taken into police custody on Monday morning. The U.S. Embassy in Paris acknowledged the arrest and stated that they are “closely monitoring this case.”
