Police have issued an update on their investigation into three newborn babies found abandoned in east London across seven years, after it emerged that they share the same biological parents.
DNA tests revealed that a baby girl found wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag at a park in Newham in January has an older brother and sister who were dumped in similar circumstances.
The baby, named by hospital staff as Baby Elsa, was discovered in sub-zero temperatures by a dog walker on 18 January.
Her brother, named Harry, was found wrapped in a blanket at a park in Plaistow in September 2017, and her sister, named Roman, was discovered next to a bench at another park in Newham in January 2019.
A judge in the family courts ruled that the siblings’ relationship could be reported because of the public interest of the case - and in the hope it could aid an investigation by the Met Police to find the parents.
What the Met Police have said
In a statement on Tuesday, Detective Inspector Jamie Humm said his team had worked around the clock to find the unidentified parents.
The force reissued a plea for a woman seen in the area just before Elsa was discovered to come forward.
She was wearing a large dark-coloured coat with a light-coloured scarf or hood around her neck, and was carrying a rucksack. The police believe she has vital information for the investigation.
Det Insp Humm said: “We understand the significant public interest that will come following the lifting of restrictions that allow this information to be reported. It is significant news and our work has focused on trying to locate the mother and provide support to her.
“We have worked 24/7 in each of these three cases to identify the parents, so far without success. We have also had to be mindful of the sensitivities that exist now all of the children are being cared for. Their welfare, including their privacy, is paramount.
“We continue to investigate, and will consider the next steps in our investigation.”
How was Baby Elsa found
Baby Elsa was believed to be less than an hour old when she was found abandoned in a shopping bag at the junction of Greenway and High Street South in East Ham on the night of 18 January this year.
Thought to be less than an hour old, she was discovered by a dog walker, wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag.
Due to the freezing conditions on the evening, it took doctors three hours to record Elsa’s temperature due to the cold, the BBC reported from a previous court hearing.
The Met believed Elsa was born after a “concealed pregnancy”.
How was Baby Roman found?
Baby Roman was also discovered in freezing temperatures, in a park area close to Roman Road and Saxon Road in East Ham, on 30 January in 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 had been made to hide her had appeared to have been made to hide the baby,
Dog walker Rima Zvaliauskas found the baby 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 baby saved herself.”
How was Baby Harry found?
Baby Harry was found wrapped in a white blanket in a park area off Balaam Street in Plaistow on 17 September in 2017, at 8.20am.
He was also found wrapped in a white blanket before being rushed to hospital.
The Met Police issued an appeal for the mother to come forward, before later issuing pictures of the baby several months later in another unsuccessful attempt.
Why has their relationship been disclosed now?
Reporting the family courts is highly restricted to only what a judge will allow, to protect the identities of those involved.
In Baby Elsa’s case, an application was made by the BBC and PA news agency to vary the terms of a Transparency Order to allow reporting that she has two siblings and other details.
Judge Atkinson allowed it, stating: “There is a clear public interest in reporting this story.
“The abandonment of a baby in this country is a very, very unusual event and there are years where there are no children abandoned, and because of that it is the story of the abandoning of a child that is of public interest.
“It is, for the same reason, in our current society, of enormous interest and importance that people know that there is a mother and father out there who felt the need to relinquish their children in this way, three times, and that is of considerable interest, it seems to me.
“If I restrict these rights and the reporting of that story, I think that does impact on public consciousness of these sorts of matters. It restricts the openness of justice.”
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