During the past week, the Public Prosecutor in Sevilla has been presented with another five cases relating to suspected ‘baby thefts’ carried out during the Franco era, bringing the total to twenty-four.
In Andalucia, around 300 cases are currently being studied. A company in Madrid is preparing a DNA database from samples provided by people looking for their children, siblings or parents and in some cases has already begun the process of cross-matching.
It is thought that up to 300,000 babies were stolen and given to other families during the Franco regime, the mothers being told that the baby died at birth.