A couple was arrested in Weston-super-Mare on Saturday, shortly after a dead newborn baby was found dumped in a garden. The baby was discovered by a horrified member of the public who coincidentally found the grisly scene while they were walking by.
A post-mortem still needs to be conducted on the child’s body to determine what the cause of death is, but the case is being treated as a possible murder considering the circumstances.
According to The Sun Online, a witness saw a baby being taken away from a nearby house and swaddled in a red blanket.
The man asked to not be named, but speaking to The Sun under the condition of anonymity, the witness described the situation as “the saddest sight I’ve ever seen.”
“It was chaos. I counted six ambulance staff and 20 cops, then the undertakers pulled up in a long black funeral limousine. The undertakers had come to collect the baby and they wrapped the poor little thing in a res blanket and put it on a trolley, which they pushed to the limo,” the witness said.
The few details that have been released by police thus far paint a very confusing picture.
Police say that they found the child’s mother and took her to hospital out of concern that she might need medical attention. However, police will not say if the couple that was arrested were the parents of the child, and they will not say if the mother was a victim or a suspect in the case.
Senior Investigating Officer Det Ch Insp James Riccio said, “Due to significant developments in this investigation, I can confirm we’re now treating the baby’s death as a potential homicide. A man and a woman have been arrested and they are in custody for questioning.
Riccio also said that a forensic post-mortem examination will be held later this week but the police don’t anticipate any conclusive results for some time.
“I know this development will cause concern in the local community, particularly in light of the tragic circumstances, but I would stress that while this is being treated as a potential homicide, we are keeping an open mind and will always be led by the evidence,” Riccio said.
If anyone has information that could help with the investigation, please call us on 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5220278654, or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
