A female Filipino crew has been arrested by the Grosseto prosecutor's office on charges of murder after allegedly letting her newborn die on a cruise ship.
The woman, who concealed her pregnancy from her colleagues, gave birth ~2 days before the incident.
The alarm was raised by her colleagues on Sunday evening, May 19th, while the Bahamas-flagged vessel was near Monte Argentario's coast (Grosseto Province, Tuscany, Italy).
Police intervened and boarded the Silver Whisper ship. The newborn's body was discovered in the cabin shared by the mother and other crew members. Authorities conducted a thorough search of the cabin and other areas of the ship, collecting photographic evidence and initial testimonies.
In a confused state, the woman was taken to the emergency room in Grosseto. On Monday morning, May 20th, the prosecutor's office decided to arrest her.
The baby's body is currently in the "Misericordia" morgue, and an autopsy may be scheduled.
Preliminary examinations indicate that the baby's death was not due to suffocation. Instead, it appears the mother left the newborn unattended for hours in the cabin, without providing medical care or nourishment.
Investigations are ongoing.
Silver Whisper's current cruise is 9-day itinerary from Civitavecchia-Rome to Villefranche-sur-Mer/Nice. The voyage started on May 18th and ends on May 27th.
For more Silver Whisper incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.