Annie Walton Doyle
A newborn baby was found abandoned earlier this year and now a shocking twist has emerged.
The infant named ‘Baby Elsa’ was discovered in Newham, London, on January 18 by a person walking their dog.
She was reportedly wrapped in a towel inside a bag. Despite the harsh conditions, the baby appeared uninjured.
Police have now confirmed Baby Elsa is the third child abandoned by the same parents since 2017.
DNA tests have shown that the baby is a ‘full sibling’ to two other abandoned infants, a boy and a girl – Harry was found in Plaistow in 2017 and Roman was found in Newham in 2019, per MailOnline.
All three babies were abandoned within 1.7 miles of each other.
The man who discovered Roman told the BBC: “The child had a frosty forehead… [it was] snowing shortly afterwards.”
A woman told The Sun: “There was a crying noise from the bag. She was crying for her life. The baby saved herself.”
Family Court documents have revealed that Baby Elsa still had her umbilical cord attached – doctors estimated she had been born only an hour before being found.
Although she would have been extremely cold, Baby Elsa was described as crying and responsive.
The court has since heard she is doing well.
Extensive interviews, CCTV investigations, and public appeals have been conducted each time a child has been found, however, the parents have not been identified.
Authorities are currently searching for a woman seen wearing a large dark coat with a light-coloured scarf or hood and carrying a rucksack shortly before Baby Elsa was found.
This woman may hold crucial information about Baby Elsa’s abandonment.
Detective Inspector Jamie Humm stated: “We understand the significant public interest following the lifting of restrictions on reporting this information.
“It is significant news, and our work has focused on locating the mother and providing support to her.
“We have worked around the clock in each of these three cases to identify the parents, so far without success.
“We are also mindful of the sensitivities now that all the children are being cared for. Their welfare and privacy are paramount.”
Judge Carol Atkinson, who granted an application for the BBC and PA Media to report the link between the three siblings, said: “There is a clear public interest in reporting this story.
“The abandonment of a baby in this country is a very, very unusual event and there are years where there are no children abandoned, and because of that it is the story of the abandoning of a child that is of public interest.”
The Met Police said it was up to the court to determine whether the link between the children should be reported, however, they told the court they did not wish to ‘inadvertently promote or encourage struggling mothers to abandon unwanted babies in public spaces’.
While Baby Elsa remains in foster care, her older siblings have been adopted and given new names.
The three children will reportedly be informed of their full sibling relationship and have some form of contact as they grow older.
Very few babies are recorded as abandoned at birth in England and Wales, the BBC reports.
The ONS only published data until 2015 and it showed no babies were registered as abandoned for the previous three years. Just one infant was logged as abandoned in 2011.
However, academic researchers believe the number is higher, at about 16 per year – based on the period 1998-2005.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC.
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