Thanks to DNA testing, police in London now know that the same parents have now abandoned three babies over a seven-year period. The most recent newborn, Baby Elsa, was found on a cold winter’s night.
A baby found in a shopping bag in London on a cold winter’s night is the third newborn abandoned by the same parents, DNA testing revealed.
The infant, whom officials named Baby Elsa, was discovered by a dog walker in the Newham borough on Jan. 18, London Metropolitan Police said in a news release on Tuesday.
DNA testing would later show that Elsa is a full sibling of two other babies found abandoned nearby, one in 2017 and another in 2019, police.
Officials conducted a thorough search consisting of a “wealth of checks, reviewing many hours of CCTV and speaking to media from the scene where Elsa was found to raise awareness.”
Police search for woman wearing dark coat
Police asked for the public’s help in identifying a woman seen shortly before Elsa was found, police said.
The woman, who police believe holds crucial information about Elsa’s background, was wearing a “large dark coat with a light colored scarf or hood around her neck and had a rucksack on her back.”
“We have worked 24/7 in each of these three cases to identify the parents, so far without success,” Newham Detective Inspector Jamie Humm said in a statement.
Other babies found in parks within two-year span
The first child, Baby Harry, was found at a park area in Newham the morning of Sept. 17, 2017, police said.
Dogwalkers found the second infant, Baby Roman, at a small children’s play park in East London the night of Jan. 31, 2019.
All three siblings have been cared for, police added.
Despite surveillance footage enquires, witness appeals, and an extensive door-to-door search, officials said they have yet to identify the children’s parents.
“We have also had to be mindful of the sensitivities that exist now all of the children are being cared fort,” Humm said. “Their welfare, including their privacy, is paramount.”