Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany ? A woman suspected of killing nine of her newborn children told investigators she gave birth in secret but cannot remember how they died because she was always drunk during labor, officials said Tuesday.

The 39-year-old, identified only as Sabine H., was arrested Sunday in Frankfurt an der Oder on suspicion of manslaughter after police found the nine tiny bodies buried in flower pots and a fish tank in a village near the Polish border.

Investigators said that under questioning, the woman revealed she hadn’t wanted the children. But it remained unclear how they died.

“She says she can’t remember how they were killed because she drank heavily when the contractions began,” prosecutor Annette Bargenda said.

Bargenda said the woman believed the infants were born between 1988 and 1999.