A village in northern Germany was in a state of shock on Thursday, a day after police detained a 31-year- old mother on suspicion of killing her five sons aged from 3 to 9, dpa reported. Parents wept as they accompanied their children to the local primary school where they were told that classes had been cancelled for the day. "We have four pastors and a school psychologist looking after the children," said Andrea Denker-Isemer, director of the school attended by the two oldest of the dead boys. Media reports said the boys had been sedated with tablets by the mother, then suffocated with a plastic bag. Prosecutor Uwe Wick declined comment on the cause of death before autopsies had been completed. The bodies were found Wednesday afternoon in their single-family home in Darry, a village with a population of 450 near the Baltic coast, 30 kilometres east of Kiel. A police spokeswoman said the mother gave details and the evidence that she killed the boys was overwhelming. She was detained at a psychiatric institution, and her motive appeared to be an effect of mental illness. Parents in the village denied media reports that the children had been neglected. "They weren't wealthy, but you can't say they were neglected," said a 33-year-old mother in response to reports the children had stale bread to eat and came to school on cold days without jackets. Welfare staff had had an appointment to inspect the family on Wednesday. An 11-year-old girl said she often accompanied the two oldest boys, Jonas and Justin, on their way to school. "One time one of them came out of the house wearing his slippers, but that was only because he forgot to put his shoes on," she said. Neighbours said the father of the three youngest children was from the United States. The father of the other two children lived nearby, in the city of Kiel. Two of the children were reportedly handicapped. Neighbours said the children were lively and often played in the garden of the detached house the family moved into three months ago.
