BABY S WAS BORN AT 37 WEEKS — BUT WHEN THE CASE REACHED COURT, ONE BASIC DETAIL ABOUT HER FAMILY WAS STILL UNKNOWN

She had only just entered the world.

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

Hours later, the newborn girl would become the center of a shocking criminal investigation — one that has now placed her mother, her mother’s boyfriend and his parents behind bars.

But when prosecutors appeared in court, they revealed a detail that immediately raised even more questions:

The baby’s father was unknown.

A NEWBORN GIRL — AND A DISTURBING DISCOVERY

Baby S’s mother, Andrea Skopova, 20, later went to hospital after giving birth.

Medical staff alerted police shortly after 5 a.m. after recognizing that Skopova had recently delivered a baby.

Officers were called to the Wincobank area of Sheffield as concerns grew over the newborn’s whereabouts.

The baby was eventually found at an outbuilding at a property on Holywell Heights.

According to prosecutors, she had been wrapped in a towel and placed inside a blue bag on top of a washing machine.

A post-mortem examination later determined that she had died from stab wounds. Prosecutors told the court that Baby S had suffered 33 wounds from 15 separate stabbings, including injuries to her face and torso.

THEN CAME THE FAMILY DETAIL

As the case was outlined in court, prosecutors confirmed that Skopova was Baby S’s mother.

But the identity of the father remained unknown.

And the revelation became even more striking because Skopova’s boyfriend, Peter Horvath Jr., 19, is one of the four adults charged in connection with the baby’s death.

Prosecutors said Horvath Jr. is not believed to be Baby S’s father.

His parents, Peter Horvath Sr., 38, and Nina Horvathova, 37, are also charged.

The four adults are accused of murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and perverting the course of justice by allegedly taking steps to conceal the killing.

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

All five defendants have been remanded in custody.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HOURS AFTER HER BIRTH?

That is now at the heart of the investigation.

Police initially arrested seven people aged between 15 and 38. Two women, aged 26 and 37, remain on bail after being arrested on suspicion of murder.

Investigators have also recovered a potential weapon and CCTV footage as they attempt to reconstruct what happened inside the property and in the hours between Baby S’s birth and her discovery.

The case has deeply affected the local community, with flowers and tributes left near the property.

South Yorkshire Police have urged the public not to speculate online while the investigation and criminal proceedings continue.

A TRIAL IS NOW SET

The four adults appeared at Sheffield Crown Court alongside the 15-year-old girl.

They did not enter pleas during the brief hearing.

Judge Sarah Wright remanded all five defendants in custody and set a provisional trial date for April 12, 2027. The trial is expected to last between six and seven weeks.

The next hearing is scheduled for October 2, 2026.

For now, the allegations remain allegations. None of the defendants has been convicted, and each is entitled to a fair trial.

But the investigation continues to leave some of the most important questions unanswered.

Who was Baby S’s father?

What happened during the hours after she was born?

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