Detectives have issued an update a year from finding a newborn baby abandoned in freezing temperatures in London. The tot, named baby Elsa after she was found in the icy conditions, is one of three siblings dumped in the same area of London over a seven-year period.
Police say they are continuing inquiries to locate the parents, for whom there are ongoing welfare concerns, and have announced a £20,000 reward for information. On January 18 last year a member of the public contacted police at 9.13pm reporting they had found a newborn baby wrapped in a towel in a Boots shopping bag, close to the junction of Greenway and High Street South, in the east of the city.
The little girl was less than an hour old when she was found in a bag. Her brother and sister had been found in the same area less than two years apart. The baby was thankfully uninjured and was taken to hospital as a precaution. She has since been discharged and placed into the appropriate care.
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Inquiries by the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Team revealed that Elsa was biologically related to two other babies, who were named Roman and Harry, who had also been located in similar circumstances nearby in 2017 and 2019. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter.
Detective inspector Jamie Humm of the Metropolitan Police’s child abuse investigation team said: “We have carried out extensive inquiries over the past year to try and locate Elsa’s parents. This has involved reviewing over 450 hours of CCTV and completing a full DNA structure of the mother. We have also worked with wider specialists who are of the view that the mum and possibly also the father have been residing in the Plaistow or East Ham area over the past six years. We have serious concerns for the wellbeing of the parents, especially the mother, and are continuing to work closely with Newham Council and appeal for the public’s help for information.
“I believe that someone in the area will have been aware of the mother’s pregnancies and that within the community there may be have been concerns for this mother’s welfare. I share these concerns with you so if you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please contact us.
“Thanks to the DNA work of forensic colleagues police will be able to eliminate any unconnected person quickly and easily. As such I would ask you to contact police with confidence. I would also appeal to professionals in the area, such as those in health, care, education, or the charitable sector, to consider whether they have encountered the mother without realising it at the time. The three babies in this investigation are thankfully healthy and well and we are continuing momentum behind this investigation to identify the parents.”
To support this investigation the charity Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information given to them anonymously. Information can be given to Crimestoppers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via their website Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling their UK-based contact centre on 0800 555 111. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC using the reference Operation Wolcott.
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