Three young car thieves in German border-town Merzig got more than they expected when they broke into a car on an petrol station parking lot. In the boot of the vehicle, they found the decaying corpse of a little baby boy. The thieves immediately contacted police, who arrested the 23-year old mother. Investigators think the corpse had been hidden away in the car since June 2011.

The exact cause of death is still unclear, the mother told police that the boy had died shortly after birth. She had wrapped the corpse in towels, placed it in a back pack and hid it in the boot of the car, which she then deregistered. She said, she had concealed her pregnancy and birth and couldn't cope with the death of her baby.

In a bizarre twist, the mother was allowed to walk free, pending an investigation, while the three car thieves can expect to be charged with committing a crime.

Why they didn't report their gruesome discovery anonymously is anyone's guess.