Two newborn babies were discovered lifeless in a bathroom at a Chicago daycare center on Thursday, July 6, authorities said. 

The incident came to light when a cleaning crew found the infants concealed in a trash bag in a cabinet, prompting an immediate alert to the police. Law enforcement swiftly responded to the distress call around 6:59 p.m. at a childcare facility located in the Streeterville neighborhood.

In an official statement released Thursday evening, Chicago police confirmed that they were investigating the deaths of the two newborn girls at the daycare center. A statement from the daycare said that a staff member “experienced a medical emergency that resulted in the unanticipated delivery of newborn twin babies.”

Dispatchers informed arriving officers that the babies were found unresponsive in a trash bag and required urgent medical attention. Despite attempts to save their lives, the infants were pronounced dead after being transported to Lurie Children’s Hospital. 

Amidst this distressing incident, a daycare worker had been discovered an hour earlier in the bathroom covered in blood. She, the babies’ mother, was promptly transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she underwent surgery for unspecified injuries. Northwestern Medicine, in a statement, acknowledged the medical emergency involving a daycare employee on their campus and affirmed their collaboration with the ongoing police investigation. 

As the investigation continues, authorities have not disclosed any information on the woman or her babies.