BABY S WAS BORN AT 37 WEEKS — BUT ONE OF THE MOST BASIC DETAILS ABOUT HER FAMILY IS STILL UNKNOWN

She had been alive for only a matter of hours.

Baby S was born at 37 weeks in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, at an address in Sheffield.

Her mother, Andrea Skopova, 20, later went to hospital after giving birth.

Medical staff recognised that Skopova had recently delivered a baby and alerted police shortly after 5am, setting off an investigation that would quickly become one of the city’s most disturbing cases.

But when the case reached court, prosecutors revealed a detail that immediately stood out.

The identity of Baby S’s father is still unknown.

Skopova’s boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr, 19, is among those accused in connection with the newborn’s death.

But prosecutors told the court that Horvath Jr is not believed to be Baby S’s father.

Now four adults are facing murder charges, while a 15-year-old girl has also been charged in connection with the investigation.

A NEWBORN GIRL AT THE CENTRE OF A MAJOR INVESTIGATION

According to the prosecution case outlined in court, Baby S was born at an address in Sheffield during the early hours of August 30.

Skopova subsequently attended hospital.

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

Officers arrived to find the newborn inside an outbuilding.

The court heard that Baby S had been wrapped in a towel, placed inside a blue bag and left on top of a washing machine.

Emergency services attended, but the baby was pronounced dead at the scene.

A forensic post-mortem later established that her cause of death was stab wounds.

33 WOUNDS FROM 15 SEPARATE STABBINGS

The details revealed during the first court hearing were deeply disturbing.

Prosecutors said Baby S suffered 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings.

The injuries were described as affecting her face and torso, both front and back.

The allegations form part of the prosecution case against the four adults now facing murder charges.

However, none of the defendants has been convicted.

The evidence will have to be examined during the criminal proceedings, where the prosecution will be required to prove its case.

FOUR ADULTS ACCUSED

The four adults charged with Baby S’s murder are:

• Andrea Skopova, 20, the baby’s mother
• Peter Horvath Jr, 19
• Peter Horvath Sr, 38
• Nina Horvathova, 37

Horvath Jr is Skopova’s boyfriend and the son of Peter Horvath Sr and Nina Horvathova.

All four are Slovakian nationals.

In addition to murder, the four adults face charges of causing or allowing the death of a child and perverting the course of justice.

Prosecutors allege that steps were taken to conceal what happened, including cleaning the scene.

Those allegations remain to be tested at trial.

A FIFTH DEFENDANT

A 15-year-old girl has also been charged with perverting the course of justice.

She cannot legally be named because of her age.

The teenager appeared in court alongside the four adults and was remanded into youth custody.

She is not facing the same murder charge as the four adult defendants.

During the Crown Court hearing, the teenager and Skopova were reported to have sobbed as the proceedings took place.

Members of the defendants’ families were also present in court.

The atmosphere was described as highly emotional, with interpreters assisting the Slovakian defendants.

THE QUESTION OF BABY S’S FATHER

Among the many unanswered questions surrounding the case is one that would ordinarily seem fundamental:

Who was Baby S’s father?

Prosecutor Luke Hopkinson told an earlier hearing that Skopova was the baby’s mother but that the father was not known.

That means the identity of the baby’s father remains unresolved publicly as the case moves toward trial.

And although Horvath Jr was Skopova’s boyfriend, prosecutors indicated that he was not believed to be Baby S’s father.

The revelation has added another unanswered question to an investigation already involving several members of the same family.

OTHER ARRESTS

The investigation has not ended with the five people now facing charges.

Two other women, aged 26 and 37, were arrested on suspicion of murder but remain on bail while inquiries continue.

Police have also continued gathering evidence as investigators attempt to establish exactly what happened in the hours following Baby S’s birth.

Authorities have urged members of the public not to speculate online or share information that could interfere with the criminal proceedings.

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward described the investigation as complex and appealed to the community to allow the legal process to take its course.

A CITY LEFT IN SHOCK

Flowers and tributes have been left near the property on Holywell Heights as the community reacts to the death of the newborn.

For many people following the case, the circumstances surrounding Baby S’s final hours remain difficult to comprehend.

She had only just been born.

Yet within hours, police were investigating her death and multiple people were being taken into custody.

The investigation has now moved from the streets of Sheffield into the courtroom.

TRIAL SET FOR APRIL 2027

All five defendants appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, September 3.

The four adults and the 15-year-old girl were remanded in custody.

Judge Sarah Wright set a provisional trial date for April 12, 2027.

The trial is expected to last between six and seven weeks, with the next hearing scheduled for October 2, 2026.

The proceedings will ultimately examine the evidence against each defendant and determine whether the prosecution’s allegations can be proved.

Until then, the charges remain allegations.

QUESTIONS THAT MAY ONLY BE ANSWERED IN COURT

Baby S’s short life has left investigators facing a series of unanswered questions.

What happened immediately after she was born?

Who was responsible for the injuries described in court?

Why was the newborn allegedly taken to the outbuilding?

And perhaps most fundamentally:

Who was Baby S’s father?

That final question remains unanswered publicly.

For now, the case continues under the strict rules of the criminal justice system.

Four adults face murder charges.

A teenager faces a separate charge.

Two other women remain on bail.

And Baby S, born at just 37 weeks, remains at the heart of an investigation that is expected to continue for months before the full evidence is finally heard in court.