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

She had been alive for only a matter of hours.

Baby S was born at around 37 weeks in the early hours of Sunday, August 30, at a property in Sheffield, England.

Later that morning, her mother, Andrea Skopova, 20, went to hospital.

Medical staff quickly became concerned after recognising that Skopova had recently given birth. Police were alerted shortly after 5 a.m., setting off a chain of events that would lead investigators to a property in the Wincobank area of Sheffield.

What police discovered would soon become the focus of a major homicide investigation.

But when the case reached court, prosecutors revealed a detail that immediately raised another question:

Who was Baby S’s father?

According to prosecutors, that remains unknown.

And despite being Skopova’s boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr., 19, is not believed to be the baby’s father, the court was told.

A NEWBORN FOUND IN AN OUTBUILDING

Baby S was found dead inside an outbuilding at the Holywell Heights property.

Prosecutors told Sheffield Magistrates’ Court that she had suffered 33 injuries from 15 separate stabbings, with wounds to her face and torso, both front and back.

Her body was found wrapped in a towel and placed inside a blue bag on top of a washing machine, according to evidence presented in court.

A post-mortem examination determined that the baby’s death was caused by stab wounds.

The discovery transformed what had begun as a medical alert into a complex criminal investigation.

FOUR ADULTS CHARGED

Skopova has been charged with murder alongside her boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr., 19, and his parents, Peter Horvath Sr., 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37.

All four also face charges relating to causing or allowing the death of a child and allegedly taking steps to conceal the killing.

A 15-year-old girl has separately been charged with perverting the course of justice. Because she is a minor, her identity cannot be reported.

All five defendants have been remanded in custody. None entered a plea during their initial brief appearances.

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

THE FAMILY CONNECTION

The court proceedings have highlighted an unusual family connection among several of the accused.

Skopova is the mother of Baby S.

Horvath Jr. was her boyfriend.

And Horvath Sr. and Nina Horvathova are Horvath Jr.’s parents.

Yet prosecutors say the baby’s biological father is unknown — and Horvath Jr. is not believed to be him.

That detail adds another unanswered question to a case already filled with uncertainty.

Investigators are continuing to establish exactly what happened between Baby S’s birth and the discovery of her body.

A CASE THAT WILL GO TO TRIAL

The four adult defendants appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on September 3 alongside the 15-year-old defendant.

The hearing lasted only briefly, but emotions inside the courtroom were intense, with family members reportedly crying as the defendants appeared.

Judge Sarah Wright remanded all five defendants in custody and set a provisional trial date of April 12, 2027.

The trial is expected to last between six and seven weeks.

For now, prosecutors must prove their allegations in court.

The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities have urged people not to speculate publicly about the case in ways that could interfere with future proceedings.

But one heartbreaking fact is already clear.

Baby S had only just entered the world.

Within hours, she was dead.

And as the investigation moves forward, authorities are still trying to answer some of the most fundamental questions surrounding her short life — including who her father was, what happened inside the Sheffield property, and how a newborn baby came to suffer such devastating injuries.

The answers may ultimately have to come in a courtroom next spring.