A newborn baby girl found dead on the shoreline in Bangor may have been in the water for several weeks, police have revealed as the urgent search for her mother continues.
The baby’s body was discovered by a member of the public on Sunday afternoon near the shoreline in Bangor, Gwynedd.
North Wales Police confirmed on Thursday that a post-mortem examination had established that the infant was a girl.
Initial findings indicate she could have been in the water for up to a few weeks, although further examinations and tests are continuing.
Detectives are now working to establish where the baby entered the water and are understood to be seeking specialist advice about tides and currents.
Police priority is finding baby’s mother
Officers stressed that their priority remains locating the baby’s mother and ensuring she receives any medical care and support she may need.
Superintendent Llinos Davies acknowledged that the mother may be frightened about contacting police but stressed that officers’ foremost concern is her safety and welfare.
Police are also appealing directly to anyone who may be concerned about a woman or girl who was recently pregnant.
Officers want people to consider whether someone they know has displayed changes in behaviour during recent months, including becoming withdrawn or distancing themselves from friends, relatives or their wider social circle.
Any information provided to investigators will be handled with the utmost discretion, police said.
Officers will work quickly to establish whether someone identified through the appeal could be the baby’s mother.
Detectives examining where baby entered water
The discovery has prompted a major investigation into the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death and how she came to be on the shoreline.
Detectives are considering a number of possibilities about where she may have entered the water.
Specialist advice is being sought from oceanographers as investigators examine whether currents could have carried the infant to the location where she was eventually discovered.
House-to-house enquiries are continuing around the area where the baby was found.
Police said their previous public appeal has already resulted in a number of people contacting the force with information.
Supt Davies thanked the local community for its support during what she described as a deeply upsetting investigation.
Anyone who believes they may know the identity of the baby’s mother, or has information that could assist police in locating her, is urged to contact North Wales Police.
The circumstances surrounding the baby’s death remain under investigation.
