A 35-year-old German national and a 38-year-old Croatian national were arrested on Wednesday evening in Vienna after they were suspected of having so severely abused their nine-week-old joint child that its life was in danger. The arrest took place around 8:30 p.m. in the hospital to which the parents had brought their daughter due to a seizure.

As the State Police Directorate reported on Thursday, the suspicion of possible abuse arose after comprehensive medical examinations of the infant. The treating doctors discovered numerous serious injuries, due to which the girl had to undergo emergency surgery. As police spokesperson Markus Dittrich told APA, the child’s multiple injuries could result from a shaken‐baby syndrome. This form of violence can cause brain injuries that may be fatal or leave lifelong consequences.

The hospital immediately filed charges. The arrested parents refused to testify and were admitted to a correctional facility by order of the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office. Further investigations are underway; the Child and Youth Welfare Service (MA 11) was informed of the matter and has provisionally taken custody of the infant.