Woman convicted of infant abandonment in Lohja case after murder charge dropped

A 19-year-old woman accused of causing her newborn’s death in Lohja has been convicted of infant abandonment, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports. The woman, previously charged with murder, was released from custody on Thursday while awaiting sentencing.

The Western Uusimaa District Court ruled that the woman induced premature labour using abortion medication and gave birth in a toilet at her home on 17 October 2025. The infant died shortly after birth due to lack of care.

According to the prosecution, the woman obtained the medication by falsely claiming her pregnancy was in an early stage, though she was in fact around 30 weeks pregnant. The baby’s father, who was present in the apartment at the time, was unaware of the pregnancy or the attempted termination. He called emergency services only after the birth, but resuscitation attempts failed.

The woman’s defence lawyer, Liisa Holopainen, stated that the defence disputes the abandonment charge but has not yet decided whether to appeal the verdict. The prosecution had initially sought a murder conviction.

The woman had been in pretrial detention since the investigation began. She maintained in court that she was unaware of how advanced her pregnancy was and invoked her right to terminate it.