Distressed ‘Mothers to be’?

Distressed ‘Mothers to be’?

Police have issued a ‘message for mother’ of an ‘abandoned baby’

An ‘abandoned baby’ has been found dead in a stream in Kirkham. Police have said that the body may have been there for up to a month. The officer leading the investigation said he could not rule out foul play at this stage as the death remains unexplained but it was more likely a case of child abandonment.

Their inquiries are focusing on the basis that someone has given birth and that the child has died or has been stillborn. If that is the case then someone out there will be in need of urgent medical and emotional support and it is vital that they contact the police or go to their nearest hospital.

This is the message sent out by Detective Superintendent Neil Esseen;

‘My message to her or anyone who knows her is that we are not here to judge you but to try and help, so please get in touch with us. It is vital we find out what has happened to this child and who its parents are. We could be dealing with a mother with emotional needs who has found herself in tragic circumstances. We are concerned for the physical and emotional health of this woman and urge her to contact us for essential help and support’.

Tests established the infant had probably been at the bottom of the brook in Kirkham, Lancashire, for between two and four weeks and that she was female probably aged from newborn up to one month old.

There is no direct vehicular access to the stream but Mr Esseen said that did not necessarily imply that the person who left the child was local as he emphasised the appeal was nationwide.

The baby was wearing a brown fleece jumper with a motif of a cartoon dog from George at Asda, and two muddied towels, one green and one with a Union flag pattern, in a Blackpool Borough Council bin bag were found about 20m upstream.

Mr Essen said: ‘If there are any concerned family members or health professionals out there who are worried about a mother or have not seen a loved one for a few days, we urge them to get in contact. We need to find out who this child is.’

This is one of those cases where the public input is vital.

Anybody with any information can contact the police on 08451 25 35 45 or you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.