A mother and father have been formally charged after their 15-month-old twin daughters were found dead in their bed in northern France. Emergency services were called to the family home in Beuvrages, near Valenciennes, on Monday afternoon, where the two girls were discovered unresponsive.
An autopsy performed on Tuesday confirmed that the twins died of dehydration and were also underweight. Their four other siblings, aged three to six, were found to be suffering from dehydration, with one child airlifted to hospital in a critical condition.
The parents told police they put the girls to bed at around 7pm on Sunday and found them dead 18 hours later. Authorities reported that the bodies were in a state of rigor mortis. The parents have been charged and remain in custody.
The surviving children have been taken into care by Child Welfare Services. According to the Valenciennes prosecutor's office, the family was not under the supervision of a juvenile court judge, and no prior concerns had been reported. The mayor of Beuvrages said the family had moved into the area about two months ago.
