Updated

A Japanese woman told police she placed her four newborn babies in concrete-filled buckets because she didn’t have the means to care for them, authorities said Tuesday.

Mayumi Saito, 53, turned herself in to police in Osaka and told authorities she was “racked with guilt” because she didn’t have the money to care for her children, officials said. Authorities discovered the remains in four buckets filled with concrete at her condominium a day after the confession.

Saito said she smothered the babies in concrete between 1992 and 1997, though it’s unclear if they were alive or stillborn at the time of their deaths and if Saito killed them.

The mother lives with her son in their apartment. Saito had a part-time job, but details of her work, family and comments were not available.

The mother was charged with abandoning bodies, but could face additional charges, Sky News reported.

Japan has the third largest economy in the world, but poverty, especially among women, remains a problem in the country. Poverty rates in Osaka are particularly high.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.