A 57-year-old medical pathologist is suspected of conducting experiments on the fetuses and could face up to 12 years in prison.
Authorities reported on Monday that a Polish doctor has been detained after 34 human fetuses were discovered buried in the garden of her previous residence.
Magdalena H., a 57-year-old medical pathologist with no prior criminal record, is accused of using the fetuses for experiments and now confronts a potential 12-year prison sentence.
Her case has sparked controversy in traditionally Catholic Poland, where many are questioning how she managed to acquire the unborn babies' bodies in a nation that enforces some of Europe’s strictest abortion regulations.
However, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office stated that there is currently no evidence suggesting she obtained the fetuses through illegal abortions.
The doctor faces charges including desecration of corpses, improper waste management, and abandoning hazardous materials in an unauthorized location.
Last week, prosecutors in southeastern Poland received a tip about medical waste being uncovered during construction work at her former home in the southeastern village of Lutoryz.