German police say mother confesses to killing several of eight babies found dead at house in Bavaria

Upper Franconia police discovered the remains of eight badly decomposed babies at the apartment in Bavaria after a neighbour tipped them off

Tributes left outside the house to the babies that died (EPA)

German police have said a 45-year-old woman has admitted killing several of the eight babies found dead at an apartment in Bavaria.

Upper Franconia police confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the woman - identified only as Andrea G - had confessed after her arrest on Friday night.

The bodies of eight infants wrapped in towels and plastic bags were discovered by police inside a storage room in the apartment in the town of Wallenfels after they were tipped off by a neighbour.

The woman was reported heard confessing to killing her children while drunk and left the apartment two and half months ago following an argument with her husband.

She was arrested in a boarding house in the neighbouring village of Kronach.

A 55-year-old man arrested with her was later released without charge.

Investigators at the house in Wallenfels where the bodies of eight infants were found (AFP/Getty Images)

According to German newspaper Bild, the woman had three children with her husband but was reported to have had four other children from other relationships.

The unnamed source said she had tried to hide her frequent pregnancies.

It is currently unclear who the father - or fathers - of the babies are or how they died.

Police said the bodies were badly decomposed and initially experts were not able to determine how many there were.

The initial total was seven but was raised to eight on Saturday.

Autospies have been carried out but police said forensic investigations could take due to the “poor” condition of the remains. The results are due later this week.

Wallenfels’ mayor, Jens Korn, expressed his shock at the discovery, telling local news channel N24 that “the little town where everyone knows each other” was asking “Could we have done something”.

Additional reporting by AP and Reuters