A nurse who previously posted bail for the murders and attempted murders of 17 babies has been re-arrested for the deaths of eight additional infants.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Lucy Letby was initially arrested in 2018 for the deaths of numerous infants at Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, England. Letby was accused of killing eight babies and attempting to kill six more infants while working at the hospital.
After two days of questioning and an intense search of her home in 2018, authorities released Letby on bail. Chester police arrested her again in 2019 for the almost-deaths of three additional babies.
According to Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes, the latest arrest happened after “a dedicated team of detectives” worked extensively on the death investigations, The Guardian reports.
“As part of our ongoing enquiries, the healthcare professional has been rearrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of nine babies,” Hughes said.
Friends previously said that they were shocked at the allegations and considered Letby to be a dedicated and compassionate nurse, according to DailyMail.
“Lucy was doing the job she dreamed of doing and appeared nothing but dedicated and professional. You can’t imagine her hurting a fly let alone defenseless babies,” a friend said.
The majority of infants who died while under Letby’s care were premature. The unusually high amounts of deaths prompted the hospital to close its neonatal units and stop caring for babies born before 32 weeks.
At the time, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health slammed the hospital and its supposed unsafe conditions for babies.
*Previous video on the case*
Although inspectors couldn’t initially find a reason why the babies were dying, there were numerous concerns, including gaps in medical rotations, insufficient coverage by senior doctors, and poor decision-making skills among healthcare staff.
After Letby’s first arrest in 2018, the parents of a now 6-year-old girl pushed for additional investigations after their daughter almost died as a newborn while at the hospital.
“We feel the police should widen their investigation to take in deaths and non-fatal collapses that happened earlier in Miss Letby’s time there,” the father of the child, Mike Whitfield said.
“We want answers for ourselves and we want answers for those poor parents whose babies actually died. … These parents need answers and our hearts go out to them. Losing a baby is something you’re never going to get over, but then to find out, perhaps, that your baby didn’t need to die, for whatever reason, is unimaginable.”
Detective Hughes said this week that the parents of all the babies who fell ill or passed away are being “fully updated on this latest development and they are continuing to be supported throughout the process by specially trained officers.”
Letby remains in custody as the investigations continue.
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[Feature Photo: Lucy Letby/Facebook]
