Newborn baby found in a Tesco bag on country road may have lain dead for 11 days

The unidentified child, named by police as Alia, was discovered in March 2013

The child was found on Ox Hey Lane in Lostock, Bolton (Google Streetview )

A newborn baby found dead and wrapped in a Tesco carrier bag at the side of a road may have lain there for up to 11 days.

The unidentified child was found on 14 March last year after police were called to Ox Hey Lane in Bolton.

She was wrapped in a white shirt and jogging trousers and concealed in a plastic bag, which had been placed inside a JD Sports bag. The plastic bag had a message on it requesting an Islamic burial. It read: “Please please bury him Islamic way please please.”

Following discussions with the Bolton Council of Mosques (BCOM) , detectives named her Alia, which means beautiful in Arabic.

An inquest at Bolton Coroners Court ruled that the bag was placed on the country lane between 3 and 10 March, the Manchester Evening News reported.

Police were alerted after it was discovered by Colin Eccles and his wife on 14 March – the couple initially mistook the baby for a bag of rubbish.

It is unknown how Alia died, but a specialist neonatologist consultant has established that she lived independently of her mother for up to two hours.

However, there is still no trace of her parents. Coroner Alan Walsh said: “It is important to try to find out what happened to baby Alia. I am disappointed that the parents of the child did not come forward.

“It saddens me a great deal that baby Alia lived for a matter of hours. She had an exceptionally short life. Sadly her beautiful short life came to a rapid end and it saddens me that she was not able to blossom into what I believe would have been a beautiful young lady.”

Mr Walsh recorded an open verdict.

Detective Inspector Duggan said: “We have reached a stage where there are no outstanding enquiries but the file will remain open.”