Pictures of baby found in car park released with plea for mum to come forward
29 April 2021, 18:04
The first images of a tiny newborn baby found abandoned in a park a week ago have been released by police as detectives have appealed directly to the child's mother to come forward.
The baby, who has since been named George by those looking after him in hospital, was discovered clothed and wrapped in a blanket by a dog walker at The Mounds in Kings Norton, Birmingham, at about 5.30pm on April 22.
The youngster, believed to be full-term, is also thought to have been only hours old when found.
He has been named for the fact he was discovered so close to St George's Day.
Giving an update on the child's health, Detective Inspector Neil Hunt, of West Midlands Police, said the baby was doing "really well", "feeding well and gaining weight," adding the plan was for the child to "shortly" be discharged to the care of a foster family.
He also appealed again for the youngster's mother to come forward.
Launching the fresh appeal on Thursday, Mr Hunt led media to the area where the child was found.
Little George was discovered at the edge of a quiet hilltop clearing, which is partially surrounded by vegetation and odd bits of litter.
He was wearing grey leggings, an orange and white striped T-shirt with a dinosaur motif, and was wrapped in a grey and white blanket.
Appealing directly to the mother, the detective said: "To you, Mom, I don't know why you left baby George here but giving birth is a significant event and I am concerned you may need medical treatment and support.
"You're not in trouble.
"We need to find out what happened - and we can help."
He added: "We're really pleased with him.
"If Mom is listening - he's doing well."
Mr Hunt said he and colleagues were determined to trace the mother.
He said: "We know that Mom probably gave birth not in a hospital, because that's the way the umbilical cord was cut.
"We have got concerns for Mom.
"It's always been my focus since the investigation started a week ago that we find Mom to make sure she gets support and any medical attention, and that hasn't changed.
"We don't know the circumstances as to why baby George was left here, but I am a parent myself so it must have been overwhelming for her to do that.
"It's important to me to tell Mom, if she is listening now, or maybe a family member or somebody close to her, that she is not in any trouble and she won't be dealt with as such."
He added: "Most of my team are parents - most of them probably want to take him (George) home as well, so we've got a real determination to try and find the mother and offer her support."
Detectives have put hospitals, GPs and medical centres on alert, as well as contacting schools, in case there have been any unexpected periods of absence, coinciding with the baby being abandoned.
Meanwhile, officers have been distributing leaflets to hundreds of homes in the surrounding area and are continuing to appeal for anyone with information.
Mr Hunt said police did have a witness who "may have seen the mom" - a woman described as being in her late teens or early 20s, white, 5'6'', with long brown hair in a ponytail, of a heavy build, wearing grey jogging bottoms.
Detectives believe the mother is probably local, given the area where baby George was found.
The witness description of the woman is similar to that of a female, pictured on CCTV released earlier this week, whom police are also still keen to trace.
Mr Hunt said although the quality of the footage was not perfect, the woman pictured was in the area of Shannon Road, between 5pm and 6pm on April 22, and is described as "a white female, around 5'6'', with brown hair".
He added: "I can't say whether that was the actual lady who had the baby or not.
