Two people charged after the remains of a newborn baby were found in Halifax could face “very serious” additional charges, according to the Crown attorney in the case.
Sukhpreet Singh, 23, and his wife, Ramandeep Kaur, 26, appeared separately by video in Halifax provincial court for a bail hearing on Monday.
Singh and Kaur have each been charged with concealing the body of a child, obstruction, and indignity to a dead body.
Crown attorney Paul Carver requested an adjournment and opposed the release of both Singh and Kaur, stating “there is potential for additional very serious charges in these circumstances.”
The defence didn’t oppose and the request was granted. Singh and Kaur were remanded into custody and are due back in court Thursday morning.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Carver said there is a lot of information still to be gathered and developments may occur, “all potentially relevant to put as full a picture as we can before the court.”
Carver said the infant’s body remains in the care of the medical examiner and he expects the preliminary autopsy results will be released soon.
He also noted police seized five electronic devices in connection with the investigation and they need more time to examine them.
“The material on those devices is in a foreign language which is slowing the process of review,” Carver told the court.
He also confirmed the baby’s 23-year-old mother remains in hospital in critical condition and is unresponsive.
“If a witness is unresponsive and in critical condition, she can tell us nothing about how these events occurred, so it’s as difficult as you can get,” said Carver.
Police said Singh is related to the mother.
Chris Lewis, former OPP commissioner and public safety analyst for CTV, says interviewing her would be very important when possible.
He said her account would help inform investigators of how the child was born and where, and the actions taken that led to the baby being found in the woods.
“I think the most important part investigatively in all of this is going to be the post-mortem examination,” he said in an interview with CTV News Atlantic.
He said determining whether or not the child was born deceased or stillborn could turn the case into a murder investigation.
Infant’s remains found after two-day search
Halifax Regional Police received a report around 9:40 p.m. Friday that a woman who appeared to have just given birth was in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Police said they believe the woman experienced a medical emergency and they don’t believe her condition is the result of violence.
Police and search crews launched an extensive search for the woman’s newborn baby, combing the area surrounding 214 Willett St. in Halifax. Police forensics could be seen searching through dumpsters outside the apartment complex Saturday evening.
On Sunday, police said new information led them to search Prospect Road and the surrounding area. They found the infant’s remains in a wooded area off Old Coach Road around 3:20 p.m. Sunday.
Four people were taken into custody for questioning. Two were released without charges.
With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith, Stephanie Tsicos and Lauren Roulston
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