Mother suspected of killing her five children

(CNN) -- Police in Darry in northern Germany found the bodies of five children Wednesday, and a spokesman said their 31-year-old mother is the prime suspect in the slayings.

The children were between 3 and 9 years old. Police said the mother appears to suffer from a mental illness, and was taken to a mental health facility.

Police wouldn't release more information, pending their investigation.

In another German case, police in Plauen near the Czech border have a woman in custody after the remains of three of her children were found in her apartment.

Police said the woman was taken into custody last week when the body of a dead baby was found, but she was released because authorities believed the death was an accident.

After police searched her apartment they found the body of a second child in a freezer, wrapped in plastic bags. When the woman was taken back into custody, she said the body of a third baby was hidden on her balcony. Watch police investigate woman's home. »

Police spokesman Jan Meinel said they are waiting for the results of an autopsy to see how the children died. Meinel said the mother claims she didn't kill the children, but found them after they were dead. E-mail to a friend