One year appeal following discovery of newborn baby in East London

One year on from the discovery of a newborn baby in East London, detectives are continuing enquiries to locate the parents, for whom there are on-going welfare concerns.

On Thursday, 18 January 2024, a member of the public contacted police at 21:13hrs reporting that they had found a new-born baby wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag, close to the junction of Greenway and High Street South, E6.

The baby was thankfully uninjured and was taken to hospital as a precaution. The baby, named by the authorities as “Elsa” has since been discharged and placed into the appropriate care.

Enquiries by the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Team revealed that Elsa was biologically related to two other babies, who had also been located in similar circumstances nearby in 2017 and 2019.

Detective Inspector Jamie Humm of the Child Abuse Investigation Teamsaid “We have carried out extensive enquiries over the past year to try and locate Elsa’s parents.

“This has involved reviewing over 450 hours of CCTV and completing a full DNA structure of the mother. We have also worked with wider specialists who are of the view that the mum and possibly also the father have been residing in the Plaistow or East Ham area over the past six years.

“We have serious concerns for the well-being of the parents, especially the mother and are continuing to work closely with Newham Council and appeal for the public’s help for information.

“I believe that someone in the area will have been aware of the mother’s pregnancies and that within the community there may be have been concerns for this mother’s welfare. I share these concerns with you so if you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please contact us.

“Thanks to the DNA work of forensic colleagues, police will be able to eliminate any unconnected person quickly and easily, as such I would ask you to contact police with confidence.

“I would also appeal to professionals in the area, such as those in health, care, education or the charitable sector to consider whether they have encountered the mother without realising it at the time.

“The three babies in this investigation are thankfully healthy and well, and we are continuing momentum behind this investigation to identify the parents.”

To support this investigation, the charity Crimestoppers, which is independent of the police, is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information given to them anonymously.Information can be given to Crimestoppers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via their website Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling their UK-based Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.

***Note: Information passed directly to the police will not qualify for a reward from the charity Crimestoppers***

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC ref Operation Wolcott.

To remain 100% anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via Crimestoppers-uk.org