MarburgSiegen, Germany - An autopsy that began Tuesday in Germany on three girl babies found dead in a home freezer showed that at least one of the newborns had been born alive, raising the likelihood that the mother will face homicide charges.

Prosecutors in the city of Siegen said pathologists had established that the infant had been "viable," not stillborn.

The mother, 44, who was being held in a prison hospital wing, was described Tuesday as distressed. Police said they would not begin questioning her till cleared to do so by doctors.

The woman lived with her 47-year-old electrician husband and three children aged 18 to 24 in a detached house in the quiet village of Wenden, east of Cologne. Neighbours described the family as polite and reserved.

A son found the three tiny bodies in the family freezer when he and his sister cleared out old food past its use-by date while the parents were away for the weekend. The family turned the mother in to police.

The infant bodies were found wrapped in bloodstained towels and covered with newspapers, one dated December 1988.

The autopsy in the city of Dortmund found no sign of external injury or malformation on the first baby checked. Tissue samples were taken for toxicological tests later. Autopsies on the other two bodies would proceed Wednesday. (dpa)