The body of a baby boy reportedly went missing under mysterious circumstances from the Windhoek State Mortuary.

The child was born on Christmas Day last year.

The baby's mother, Petra Pienaar, is in the midst of trauma.

In December of last year, she gave birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day.

Her joy was short-lived, as she was soon informed by medical staff at Katutura State Hospital that her son was born with his umbilical cord around his neck, restricting his blood flow.

The child died, and Pienaar describes how she and the baby's father, Randall Gariseb, viewed the body before it was taken to the state mortuary.

"They said no, your baby did not make it, the baby came out dead. I said, 'Ok, call the father', so the father and I, the doctors, and nurses were the only people who saw the baby."

The heartbroken mother explains that her brother is an undertaker and that he offered to take care of the funeral arrangements.

On January 11, Pienaar and Gariseb went to the mortuary to find out how much they were to pay for keeping the body there but were surprised when they were told that the child was no longer there.

She is finding it hard to come to terms with the shocking news.

It follows the deaths of another child in February last year and that of her mother in November.

"It is not easy, not easy at all. This has affected the relationship between my boyfriend and me; we can't sleep at night. Let them just find my baby boy, because I want to bury him."

Since the news broke, Gariseb has been walking from Hakahana to the state mortuary, hoping to get answers on the whereabouts of his baby's body.

According to mortuary sources who spoke to the nbc, Pienaar's brother, who is an undertaker, visited the mortuary in January to identify the baby's body.

However, authorities remain adamant that there is no paperwork indicating that the brother or any other person could have removed the body.

Health and Social Service Minister Dr. Kalumbi Shangula, when approached for comment, told our news team that he would source information from the hospital regarding the matter.