A baby girl has been found underfed and dehydrated after being kept in a car boot, possibly since she was born.

The infant, thought to be aged between 15 and 23 months, was found by a mechanic on Friday after her mother brought her car into a garage in the French town of Terrasson.

Sky News reports one of the garage workers heard "bizarre noises, like moans" coming from the boot of the car and found the little girl inside.

Garage owner Denis Latour said: "She was naked, on the side there was a crib and this unbearable smell."

He said the baby girl had been lying on rubbish bags, and was struggling to get fresh air because the closed boot was sealed.

The girl's mother, 45, was said to have had little concern for her daughter.

Garage Owner Denis Latour found the baby
"Unbearable": Garage Owner Denis Latour described the conditions the baby was found in

Mechanic Guillaume Iguacel, who discovered the baby, said: "We were deeply shocked because she didn't find this abnormal.


He added: "I'm still having trouble sleeping, it was a horrifying site, seeing this little girl in her own excrement, not able to hold up her head, white as a sheet."

The girl as taken to hospital where medical staff said she had delayed growth and mental problems.

The baby's mother and her partner, who are both Portuguese, have been arrested and charged with child abuse and endangering a minor - crimes that could lead to a 10-year prison sentence if they are convicted.

The couple have three other children, aged between four and 10, but the mother said she had given birth to the baby girl in secret and hidden her from everyone, including her partner.

Their other children were handed over to social services after their arrest.