France is in shock over the horrible mistreatment of a baby girl – Discovered by an auto-mechanic who heard her groans, the toddler was filthy, malnourished, and dehydrated, living in the boot of the family car.

“I’m still having trouble sleeping – it was a horrifying sight, seeing this little girl in her own excrement, not able to hold up her head, white as a sheet,” said mechanic Guillaume Iguacel in the village of Terrasson, in Southwestern France.

The girl’s 45-year old mother and 40-year old partner were arrested and charged with endangering a minor.  They face up to 10 years in prison.  The women’s three other children have been removed from the home.

The woman told police she gave birth to the girl in secret.  Neighbors saw her said she spent an unusual amount of time in and around her car, which seemed to be deliberately parked away from the home.

“We had the impression this woman lived in her car. She never left it,” said one neighbor identified only as “Pascale.”

“I remember seeing her several times a week with her car parked in a lot about 200 meters from her home.  The boot was always open.  I was wondering what she could be doing.”