A manhunt is underway as police search for the mother of a baby girl found dead in a pile of rubbish in a warehouse. West Midlands Police launched the investigation after the body of the child was found on Thursday at a waste management site in the town of Rowley Regis.
Examinations are underway, including forensic examinations, to ascertain the identity of the girl and how she died. Det Chief Inspector Kylie Westlake, from the Public Protection Unit, said that identifying and locating the baby’s mother is the force’s number one priority. She said: “While we don’t yet know what has happened, what we do know is that there must be a mother out there who is in real need of help − and she is our absolute priority at the moment.
Det Chief Westlake added: “We have been checking CCTV and speaking to hospitals, but it may be that the mother or someone who knows who she is sees this appeal.
“I really want to speak to her to make sure she’s OK, and to ensure that she can get the help that she urgently needs.”
“We’ll treat information we receive sensitively, and we’d ask for anyone who can help us identify who baby and mother was to come forward. It may be you live near a baby, and their mother, who have unexpectedly not been seen for a number of days.”
Officers are now urgently trying to locate the baby’s mother as they continue to be concerned for her welfare.
A police spokesperson said: “You may be a mother, father, friend, teacher or lecturer who has spotted a loved-one who has behaved differently recently.
“We need anyone who can help us find the mother to come forward so we can offer her support from our specialist staff.”
West Midlands Police said officers believe the waste within which the girl was found had been unknowingly transported by a private waste operator to the site.
A police spokesperson added: “At this stage we believe the baby was unknowingly transported on Wednesday.
“We understand the operator works across the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia areas. We’re not connecting the business to the sad death.”
Police have urged anyone who can help identify the mother to come forward. A Major Incident Public Portal has been set up for people to submit information directly to police.