'They told me my baby had died... but now I know she may have been stolen and trafficked'

• Video report by ITV News reporter Sally Lockwood

Thousands of women in Spain told their babies had died at birth are now dealing with the horrifying possibility they may actually have been stolen by baby traffickers.

Now, they are fighting to discover the truth.

Among them is bereaved mother Ruth Appleby, who was living in northern Spain 25 years ago when she became pregnant with her first child.

She told ITV News the pregnancy had been "effortless" - yet, just hours after giving birth, a nurse told her husband their daughter had died.

For 19 years, she left flowers at a grave in Spain - but later discovered the remains inside were not those of a newborn.

She said:

The scandal broke five years ago, when one woman's story sparked thousands of allegations from heartbroken parents.

Then there are those children who only recently discovered they had been living a lie.

One woman said her parents confessed on their deathbed that she had been stolen from her biological parents - and only told her because she had been diagnosed with a genetic medical condition.

The Spanish Catholic Church and the Ministry of Health have now agreed to open their archives to try to help those working to discover whether they may have been affected.