Everything we know about three brothers abandoned in seven years as police hunt for parents

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Police have released an update on their investigation into three newborns found abandoned in east London over seven years after it emerged they had the same biological parents.

DNA tests have revealed that a little girl found wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag in a Newham park in January has an older brother and sister who were abandoned in similar circumstances.

The child, named by hospital staff as Baby Elsa, was discovered in sub-zero temperatures by a dog walker on January 18.

Her brother, named Harry, was found wrapped in a blanket in a park in Plaistow in September 2017, and her sister, named Roman, was discovered next to a bench in another park in Newham in January 2019.

A family courts judge ruled the relationship between the siblings could be reported because of the public interest in the case – and in the hope it could help a Met Police investigation to find the parents.

What the Met Police said

In a statement on Tuesday, Detective Inspector Jamie Humm said his team had been working around the clock to find the unidentified parents.

The force reposted an appeal for a woman seen in the area just before Elsa was discovered to come forward.

He wore a large dark coat with a light colored scarf or hood around his neck and carried a rucksack. The police believe that he has essential information for the investigation.

Det Insp Humm said: “We understand the significant public interest that will come from lifting the restrictions that allow this information to be reported. It is significant news and our work has been focused on trying to locate the mother and provide her with support.

“We have been working 24/7 in each of these three cases to identify the parents, so far without success. We also had to be mindful of the sensitivities that exist now that all children are being cared for. Their well-being, including their privacy, is paramount.

“We are continuing to investigate and will consider the next steps in our investigation.”

How Baby Elsa was found

Little Elsa was believed to be less than an hour old when she was found abandoned in a shopping bag at the junction of the Greenway and High Street South in East Ham on the night of January 18 this year.

Believed to be less than an hour old, she was discovered by a dog walker, wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag.

Because of freezing conditions in the evening, it took medics three hours to take Elsa’s temperature due to the cold, the BBC reported from an earlier court hearing.

The Met believed that Elsa was born after a “hidden pregnancy”.

How was Baby Roman found?

Baby Roman was also discovered in freezing temperatures in an area of ​​parkland near Roman Road and Saxon Road in East Ham on January 30, 2019 at 10.15pm.

She was wrapped in a white towel placed in a shopping bag positioned next to a bench in a children’s play area.

No attempt was made to hide it, it appeared to have been made to hide the child,

Dog walker Rima Zvaliauskas found the child after hearing a noise coming from the shopping bag. Speaking at the time, she said: “There was a crying noise from the bag. She was crying for her life. The child was saved.”

How was Baby Harry found?

Baby Harry was found wrapped in a white blanket in a park area off Balaam Street in Plaistow on September 17, 2017 at 8.20am.

He was found and wrapped in a white blanket before being rushed to hospital.

The Met Police launched an appeal for the mother to come forward, before later releasing pictures of the child months later in another failed attempt.

Why was their relationship revealed now?

Family court reporting is very limited to only what a judge will allow, in order to protect the identities of those involved.

In Baby Elsa’s case, the BBC and PA news agency have made an application to vary the terms of a transparency order to allow reporting that she has two siblings and other details.

Judge Atkinson allowed it, saying: “There is a clear public interest in reporting this story.

“Abandonment of a child in this country is a very, very unusual event and there are years when there are no abandoned children and because of that the story of the abandonment of a child is of public interest.

“It is, for the same reason, in our present society, of enormous interest and importance that people know that there is a mother and a father out there who have felt the need to give up their children in this way, three times, and that is considerable interest, it seems to me.

“If I restrict those rights and the reporting of that story, I think that has an impact on public awareness of these types of matters. It limits the openness of justice.”