BABY S HAD JUST BEEN BORN AT 37 WEEKS — BUT WHEN HER CASE REACHED COURT, ONE OF THE MOST BASIC DETAILS ABOUT HER FAMILY WAS STILL UNKNOWN

A newborn baby girl had been alive for only hours when her case became the center of a major criminal investigation in Sheffield.

Known in court only as Baby S, the infant was born at around 37 weeks in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, 2026, at an address in the Wincobank area of Sheffield.

Her mother, 20-year-old Andrea Skopova, later went to hospital. Medical staff became concerned after realizing she had recently given birth and alerted police shortly after 5 a.m.

But when prosecutors began outlining the case, they revealed a startling detail:

The baby’s father was still unknown.

Skopova’s current boyfriend, 19-year-old Peter Horvath Jr., is one of four adults charged with Baby S’s murder.

Prosecutors told the court that Horvath Jr. is Skopova’s boyfriend but is not believed to be the baby’s father. His parents, Peter Horvath Sr., 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, are also charged alongside him.

A 15-year-old girl has separately been charged with perverting the course of justice. Her identity is protected because of her age.

A NEWBORN’S FINAL HOURS

Police were called to a property on Holywell Heights after concerns were raised about the safety of an infant.

Baby S was later found dead in an outbuilding.

A forensic post-mortem examination determined that she died from stab wounds. Prosecutors told Sheffield Magistrates’ Court that the baby had suffered 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings, with injuries to her face and torso.

The court heard that her body had been found wrapped in a towel and placed inside a blue bag in the outbuilding.

The details shocked the courtroom as four adults appeared before the court facing the most serious possible charge.

FOUR ADULTS CHARGED

Andrea Skopova, Peter Horvath Jr., Peter Horvath Sr. and Nina Horvathova have all been charged with:

• Murder
• Causing or allowing the death of a child
• Perverting the course of justice by allegedly taking steps to conceal the killing

The 15-year-old girl faces a separate charge of perverting the course of justice. All five defendants have been remanded in custody.

The Crown Prosecution Service has stressed that the charges are not findings of guilt and that all defendants have the right to a fair trial.

THE CASE IS FAR FROM OVER

At Sheffield Crown Court, the four adults and the teenager appeared together during a brief hearing.

None entered a plea.

Judge Sarah Wright set a provisional trial date of April 12, 2027, with the trial expected to last six to seven weeks. The next hearing is scheduled for October 2.

Two other women, aged 26 and 37, who were previously arrested on suspicion of murder remain on bail while the investigation continues.

For investigators, many questions remain.

Who was Baby S’s father?

What happened in the hours immediately following her birth?

And how did a newborn who had only just entered the world end up at the center of such a devastating investigation?

Those questions will now form part of a case expected to unfold in court next year.

For Baby S, however, the tragedy began before she ever had the chance to live the life she should have had.