The Banja Luka District Public Prosecutor’s Office (DPP) has initiated an official investigation into the case of the missing babies of mothers Aleksandra Blagojević and Nataša Stijak, who gave birth at the University Clinical Center of Republika Srpska (UKCRS) in 2018.
The case was initiated following the release of CIN’s documentary “Where is Sara?”, in which two women shared their harrowing experiences of childbirth and the disappearance of their children. Their testimonies caused great distress in the public, prompting demands for answers regarding the fate of the babies from institutions and organizations.
The Banja Luka District Public Prosecutor’s Office is to verify the claims, gather all necessary information and statements, and determine the circumstances surrounding the case.
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Sara’s parents, Aleksandra Blagojević and Miloš Kuprešanin, reported the entire incident in 2019, prompting the Banja Luka District Public Prosecutor’s Office (OJT) to open an investigation. However, in October 2021, Prosecutor Zorica Baroš issued an order not to conduct an investigation based on the findings of two experts. These experts concluded that there were no indications of negligence or misconduct in the actions of the medical staff involved.
The Prosecutor’s office at that time did not inquire about Sara’s burial location, even though the parents had stated it in their statements.
Three days after Sara’s birth, UKC RS informed Aleksandra and Miloš that their baby had passed away.
After Aleksandra was discharged from the hospital, they waited for the autopsy results for a month, guided by vague and incomplete information they received at the hospital. During this time, they received a gift package for newborns, but no one provided them with information about the autopsy results.
In their quest for information, they went to UKC RS to inquire about the autopsy, only to find out that the hospital had, without their knowledge or permission, buried Sara in the city cemetery.
Aleksandra and Miloš then embarked on a struggle with institutions and establishments, seeking their child’s body, but encountered silence and closed doors: the Public Enterprise Gradsko groblje and UKC RS ignored all their requests for information and dialogue, while the Banja Luka District Public Prosecutor’s Office closed the case two and a half years after their initial report.
