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Mother sought after baby's body found at recycling plant

Theo Usherwood,Press Association
Friday 16 October 2009 16:00 BST

A woman gave birth to a baby boy without medical help before dumping his body in a wheelie bin, police said today.

Detectives are currently trying to identify the infant's mother after his body was discovered wrapped in a black bin liner on a conveyor belt at a waste recycling plant.

The grim discovery was made by a worker at the Greenstar Recycling Plant in Mill Lane, Addlethorpe, Lincolnshire, shortly before 11am yesterday.

Detectives said the boy, who was two or three days old when he died, was discovered by the male worker as he searched for glass in rubbish brought to the plant for recycling.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Gibbon, who is leading the investigation, said: "At this stage we are investigating the death of a baby who was probably no more than two or three days old.

"I think it's fair to say from the post-mortem that the birth was a traumatic birth and also that there was no professional presence when the baby was delivered.

"It's perfectly possible that this woman or girl has given birth without anybody being there or with anybody who knew what they were doing."

The detective said part of the umbilical cord was in the bag with the dead baby boy, who had probably died this week.

Officers are trying to determine where the baby was born and it is thought that the bag containing his body arrived at the waste recycling plant earlier this week.

Inside the bag there was also a lady's pair of tan jogging bottoms, a pair of lady's knickers, whilst the baby's body was wrapped in a cloth. All the items were heavily bloodstained and the body was wrapped in a second bag which had been used to hold toilet roll.

Detective Chief Inspector Gibbon said: "The most important thing for me is for the mum to come forward. There's no question that she will be distressed and in need of urgent medical attention and this is a direct appeal for her to contact us so we can hopefully get to the bottom of what has happened."

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