Little Hulton baby: Heartbreaking fear for parents who abandon tots without a trace

Greater Manchester Police are working to identify the mother of Baby A, whose remains were found by a dog walker in Little Hulton in Salford. A clinical psychologist explains the harrowing circumstances some parents might find themselves in to feel compelled to abandon their babies without a trace

The remains of a young baby were found in a freezing cold field in Greater Manchester on Wednesday - with no sign of its mother or father.

Police have appealed for help to track down the mum and make sure she is safe after the infant, referred to by Greater Manchester Police as Baby A, was found by a dog walker at around 1pm near Ashtons Field in Little Hulton in Salford. Officers were unable to confirm the baby's gender or ethnicity when the baby was first discovered, and now days later they are still unable to determine even how old they were when they died.

The tragic child is not the first to be found abandoned this year, as on January 18, a little girl, known as Baby Elsa, was discovered wrapped in a towel inside a bag with her umbilical cord still intact, but luckily still alive. In an update in June, the youngster was said to be 'doing well' in foster care as it was revealed that she is the sister of two other babies that were abandoned by the same mother and father, and have since been adopted under new names which cannot be disclosed.

Baby Harry was found on September 16, 2017, at Plaistow Park, Balaam Street and on January 31, 2019, while the middle sister, named by officials as baby Roman, had been left at Roman Road playing fields. Clinical psychologist, Dr Jo Mueller, who specialises in working with parents and has carried out research on abandoned babies, has raised concern for the mental well-being of parents who have abandoned their babies in such circumstances.

At a press conference on Friday, Detective Chief Inspector Charlotte Whalley said: "Our investigation is in the early stages and we do not know the background or circumstances that led to this baby being separated from a mum. We don't know the pressures the mum might have been under before she gave birth or in the times afterwards, but our priority is to find answers and to make sure the mum is safe.

"We know the baby's mum is somewhere out there, potentially watching this, and we would appeal for anyone who may know the mum or had their suspicions about her pregnancy to come forward so we can find her and speak to her. We will do anything we can to help the mum.

"Trained officers are ready to support her, no matter what the circumstances are, please contact us." Police said earlier this week that they are working to understand how long the baby was in the field and how they died.

Dr Jo Mueller says it is 'extremely rare' for babies to be abandoned in the UK. Speaking from her experience and research, Dr Mueller believes those who abandon newborns instead of seeking support from social services are "likely to be extremely vulnerable."

The 40-year-old, from Tunbridge Wells, told the Mirror: "It's quite likely that these mothers are traumatised, marginalised, and potentially suffering from mental health difficulties. Potentially these people may be refugees, people who've got unstable housing situations. They may be worried about coming into contact with services because of the repercussions of that, if they aren't here legally, potentially."

It is illegal to abandon a baby in the UK, however in the absence of national policy or comprehensive data, Mueller's research found the phenomenon is poorly understood. In her 2009 study published by the University College London Medical School, Department of Infection and Population Health, alongside authors L. Sherr and Z. Fox, they said abandonment is not a new phenomenon and is often subject to social change and circumstance.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) only published data until 2015, which showed no babies were registered as abandoned for the previous three years. There was just one logged as abandoned in 2011. However Dr Mueller's research in 2009, covering the period 1998-2005, suggested an average of 16 babies were abandoned yearly. They looked at the statistics to try and figure out how often it was actually happening in the UK, matching up media reports, crime statistics and the child register.

"It is a crime but it is often not well recorded because parents aren't found," the doctor explained. "But from a psychological perspective, we're not often thinking of parents abandoning their babies as criminals." She added: "I think that's the reason why there aren't any clear policies around what should happen when it happens.

"There aren't systematic processes because it's so rare that it's not seen as sort of urgent to create a pathway. Police may record the data, but a large proportion of the parents are never found." Through systematic coding of media reports, 124 babies were identified over a seven-year period.

Of these, 96 (77.4%) were newborns (<1 week old) and 28 (22.6%) were older babies (>1 week old). Most babies (74%) were abandoned outdoors and only 9.7% were left with a memento. Few mothers, almost exclusively those of older babies, were found (37.1%). Of those found, 92% were located within 3 days of abandoning their baby.

Current social economic factors could be at play. "I think we are living in a society where yes, there are difficulties with cost of living, there are difficulties with housing," she explained. "Since Brexit, it's been more of a hostile environment towards immigrants.

"There are very limited resources for health, social care, housing and I think it's quite possible that there's an element of shame or fear. I think that we're looking at somebody who's going to be vulnerable on multiple fronts, psychologically and socially," the expert claimed.

Speaking specifically earlier this year about the heartbreaking conditions baby Elsa was left in, the expert added: "One must have been in a desperate situation to go through with that."

Dr Mueller also stated the importance of not forgetting about the role the father played in the abandonment. "We don't know whether he's also in a desperate situation, was he complicit in the decision to do this?" she asked. "We don't know whether the father is completely absent and we don't know whether the father could be in some way perpetrating the kind of repeated pregnancy."

The fact that parents often go without being identified suggests they are living off-grid, Dr Mueller said. "If a baby was born in a hospital, there would be a record," she explained. "If parents are known to social services, if a mother's known to be pregnant, there would be a follow-up there.

"It's really quite difficult to have carried a baby to term, giving birth and then to abandon it without anybody knowing about any of these things, that is really, really unusual and really dangerous." The expert, who provides psychological support for parents with her business, has raised concern about the trauma that parents of abandonded babies may experience.

"It's not only a burden of losing children, but it's the fact that it's a secret as well," she continued. "We know that having things a secret increases complex grief symptoms of trauma."

Anyone with information on Baby A is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log 1319 of 20/11/24. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.