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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Body of baby found at recycling centre likely came from household bin, says police

The body of a newborn baby found at a Cambridgeshire recycling centre is likely to have been collected from a household bin, detectives have said.

The infant boy was discovered by staff at an Amey recycling plant in Waterbeach, near Ely, on November 29.

He has since been named Gabriel by medical staff due to his discovery just before the start of advent.

Detectives on Tuesday said they believe his body was left in a household recyling bin, which was then collected by waste collection workers.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said inquiries with recycling centre staff suggest it is “likely” that the baby came from recycling collected from household blue bins in Peterborough and its surrounding villages, March, Whittlesey, Melbourn or streets off Mill Road in Cambridge.

A post-mortem examination carried out earlier this month returned inconclusive results about how the baby died.

While authorities work to establish what happened to him, police have appealed to his mother to come forward amid concerns for her welfare.

Detective Chief Superintendent John Massey said on Tuesday: “We are still investigating this tragic incident and trying to locate the baby’s mother to offer her all the support she needs.

“It is important to note that we have now obtained the baby boy’s DNA, so we can compare this to any name that is put forward for a parent.

“We are particularly touched by the gesture of medical staff ‘naming’ him Gabriel, given the start of advent, while we work together to try to identify him and his family.

“We are still keeping an open mind as to what has happened and are exploring every potential avenue, but if anyone has any information we would strongly urge them to contact us or Crimestoppers anonymously.”

Anyone with information is urged to pass it to the force online via the Major Incident Public Portal. If anyone has immediate concerns for someone’s safety they are encouraged to call 999.

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