A newborn baby was found in a bag in east London earlier this year.
“Baby Elsa” is the third child abandoned by the same parents since 2019.
– We have worked around the clock in all three cases to be able to identify the parents, but have not succeeded, says Jamie Humm from the Metropolitan Police.
In the borough of Newham, an abandoned newborn baby was found in 2017. Two years later, another baby was found in the same way. At the beginning of the year, “Baby Elsa” was found in the same area. She was found in a bag, wrapped in a towel on the coldest day of the year.
Now the police are telling that the three children are siblings – abandoned by the same parents.
Born an hour before she was found
“Baby Elsa” was found outdoors by a dog owner in January earlier this year. It was freezing outside and according to documents from the court, she was supposed to have been born just an hour before she was found. The umbilical cord must have still been in place.
When she was found, she was said to have been extremely cold but conscious. “Baby Elsa” is said to have recovered and now lives in a foster home.
The parents have not been identified
DNA tests presented to a court show that “Baby Elsa” is the sibling of the two children “Harry” and “Roman”, who have now changed their names. They were similarly found in the same area and have been adopted out.
– That you abandon your child in this country is very, very unusual, says judge Carol Atkinson to the BBC.
Despite the police’s attempts, the parents have not been able to be identified. The court states that the children will be informed that they are siblings, and that there is a plan for them to be able to have some form of contact when they grow up.
The police: Been working around the clock
In connection with the children being found, the police carried out a series of investigative measures. Among other things, they knocked on doors and went through surveillance cameras.
– We have worked around the clock in all three cases to be able to identify the parents, but have not succeeded, says Jamie Humm from the London Metropolitan Police in a statement.
A week after “Baby Elsa” was found, the police tried to identify a woman with a large dark jacket and a backpack. She is said to have seen shortly after the dog owner found “Baby Elsa”.
“We still believe that she may be sitting on important information about how she ended up where she was found,” the police write in a statement.