Police hunt for parents who abandoned three newborns: Mystery over who left babies in shopping bags in London parks for over seven years

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Police are searching for the parents of three newborn babies who have been abandoned in east London over the past seven years.

The trio of babies have been dumped in parks, with the latest – a baby girl – found just an hour after being born in a shopping bag in Newham amid sub-zero temperatures in January this year.

DNA tests have since shown that the baby, who has been named Elsa by hospital staff after the Frozen character, is a full sibling to baby Harry who was found abandoned in a Plaistow park in 2017 and baby Roman who was found in a park in Newham in 2019.

Police said at the time that it was “highly likely” Elsa was born after a “hidden pregnancy” and her umbilical cord was still attached when she was found. She was not injured in any way.

Police said today they are continuing to search for the children’s parents, with officers believing a woman seen in the area just before Elsa was discovered by a dog walker may have vital information.

The female was wearing a large dark coat with a light colored scarf or hood around her neck and was carrying a rucksack.

The mother and father of the three babies – who were dumped within 1.7 miles of each other – have not yet been identified, and on Monday a judge allowed details revealing their connection to be reported publicly for the first time.

Judge Carol Atkinson of the East London Family Court amended the restrictions to allow the family link between the three to be reported following a request by the PA news agency and the BBC.

She said it was “of great public interest” and that it could help identify birth parents who have yet to be found.

Detective Sergeant Laurence Dight, of the Metropolitan Police, told the court on Monday that the police investigation into the identity of the parents was continuing, with anyone with information on the identity of the parents asked to contact the force using reference CAD 6876/18. Jan.

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In a statement on Tuesday, the force said it had made extensive inquiries, including media appeals, reviewing CCTV, going door-to-door and examining forensic evidence.

Detective Inspector Jamie Humm, who is based in Newham, said: “We understand the significant public interest that will come from lifting restrictions on the reporting of this information.

“This 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, all children are looked after. Their well-being, including their privacy, is paramount.

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

The eldest child, known as Harry, was found in a park near Balaam Street in Plaistow, east London, on September 17, 2017.

He was found wrapped in a white blanket at 8.20am before being rushed to hospital, prompting a call to police for the mother to come forward.

It followed the discovery of a second child who was found in a shopping bag next to a bench in a park in Newham, east London, on January 31, 2019.

The baby, who has been named Roman after being found on Roman Road, is said to have been wrapped in a towel and placed in a Sainsbury’s bag.

The newborn was found by a Lithuanian grandmother and her son while walking their dog 100 meters from their home.

Rima Zvaliauskiene said then: “There was a crying noise from the bag. She was crying for her life. The child was saved.

She added in an interview with Sun Online: “At first I thought it was an animal.”

Her son Ovidijus added: “She was looking a bit purple. She is very cold to the touch. Her forehead and ears seemed a bit frozen, she was cold.

“We feel great that we helped save the child’s life. I’m glad I was there or the baby might not have survived long.”

The police launched another appeal for the mother to come forward after this, but the fact that Roman was related to Harry was not made public.

Then, on January 18 this year, a third newborn, known as Elsa, was found by a dog walker at the junction of the Greenway and High Street South in Newham after being alerted by her crying.

As with Roman, Elsa was found dumped in a shopping bag and was thought to be just one hour old when she was found at 9.13pm as temperatures dropped to -4C on the cold winter night.

A local restaurant manager, Tania Iurac, told how she saw a “squeal” on her way home from work after the newborn was left in a “really visible area”.

Ms Iurac, 25, said she and her flatmate saw up to seven police officers at the scene about two hours after the child was discovered.

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“I saw a commotion near Greenway Park.” I saw a white towel on the floor surrounded by six to seven police officers.

— The towel was next to a red sign on the freeway. But the child and the plastic bag were not there.

“I think the mother wanted the child to be found. The towel was in a really visible area next to the main road. It was absolutely freezing last night.

Her friend, Andreea Plic, 26, explained that she was concerned about the number of officers in the area because she got home from work around 11pm and decided it was best to get home.

She told The Times: “I spoke to my friend Tania and said, let’s go outside and find out what happened. So when I went outside, I just saw the towel.

Ms Iurac said it was “horrible” to find out someone had done this, but added to the paper: “It’s possible she’s a teenager and she’s scared by what’s happened in her life and she’s not ready for it and he left her out for someone. to find him.

Speaking a day after Elsa was found, Chief Constable Simon Crick, local police commander for north-east London, said the child was believed to be black or of mixed race and urged the mother to come forward.

He said: “We are extremely concerned for her welfare as she would have been through a traumatic ordeal and will need immediate medical care after the birth.

“Trained doctors and specialist officers are ready to support her and we urge her to get in touch by phone or go to the nearest hospital or police station. If you are the child’s mother, please know that your daughter is fine. Whatever your circumstances, please seek help.

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Harry and Roman have both since been adopted, while Elsa is still in foster care. The names of all three have since been changed.

Solicitor Kate Claxton, representing Newham London Borough Council, previously told the court that the ongoing investigation meant Elsa’s birth could not be registered, so no final decision could be made about her care.

Another hearing in her case is expected to take place at a later date.

Judge Atkinson ruled on Monday that reporting the information that the three children were biological siblings was in the public interest.

She said: “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.

It follows efforts to increase transparency in the family court system.

Previously, reporters had access to courts dealing with sensitive matters involving children, despite the fact that they were closed to the public.

However, reporting has been very limited to only what a judge will allow, in order to protect the identities of those involved.

Under a new transparency pilot scheme introduced last year, accredited journalists and legal bloggers could access three family courts – Leeds, Cardiff and Carlisle – to report on cases more freely.

This was extended earlier this year to allow accredited journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases in 16 courts in England and Wales as they happen, as they would in the criminal courts.

This includes East London Family Court as well as Manchester, Nottingham, Central London Family Court and others.

While the identities of the families and certain professionals involved remain protected, judges can determine what details can be reported under a Transparency Order, with journalists also being allowed access to some documents.

Families can also speak to a journalist about their case without risking contempt of court.

However, judges may still decide that some cases may not be reported or that reporting should be delayed in certain circumstances.

In the Baby Elsa case, the PA news agency and the BBC asked the court to change the terms of the Transparency Order to allow reporting that she has two siblings and other details.