Please attribute to Detective Inspector Scott Beard, Auckland City Police:
Yesterday evening, Police were notified that a deceased baby had been located at a recycling facility in Onehunga.
Police immediately attended and a scene examination began overnight and continues today.
Numerous enquiries are underway and the priority for Police to is identify and locate the mother of the child. We are extremely concerned for her welfare. Police believe the baby is a newborn and so we are worried that the mother needs urgent medical attention.
We have already made enquiries with hospitals and will continue to work closely with them.
A post mortem will be carried out tomorrow.
These types of investigations can be extremely complex and Police has a significant amount of work to undertake to try and establish how the baby has come to be at the facility. This will involve going through hours’ worth of CCTV footage.
What would assist Police greatly is for anyone who knows anything about this baby or the mother of the child to contact us urgently. We have teams of specialist staff and this will be treated sensitively and with respect.
Anyone with information can contact 105 quoting file number 210816/2825. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
Shelley Nahr/NZ Police
NOTE FOR MEDIA – Please note that Detective Inspector Scott Beard will be available to briefly speak with media at 2.45pm outside of Auckland Central Police Station at College Hill.