Police Think Abandoned Babies Came From One of 400 Homes

Three siblings abandoned in London as newborns over a period of seven years were lucky to survive—and police have stepped up their search for the parents in case a potential fourth is not as fortunate. Police have narrowed the search to an area of around 400 houses in east London and they have been going door-to-door requesting DNA samples, though not all residents have complied, the BBC reports. The youngest of the three, Elsa, was less than an hour old when she was found in a shopping bag near a footpath on a freezing cold night in January last year. Her brother Harry was found in Plaistow Park in September 2017 and her sister Roman was found on a bench in a park on Roman Road in January 2019.

Detective Inspector Jamie Humm, the chief Metropolitan Police investigator in the case, tells the BBC that he initially believed the mother was reluctant to come forward but he now suspects she is unable to do so, possibly because she is restrained in some way or has mental or physical health problems. Police believe the woman knows the area well—she avoided CCTV cameras and placed the newborns in place where they were likely to be found quickly. Police say CCTV footage has ruled out the possibility that the mother arrived by car. Investigators believe she walked along the Greenway footpath, and they have concentrated the search on homes in the East Ham and Plaistow area where a person could have walked to the site where Elsa was found without being seen on CCTV.

Humm says investigators believe the mother is vulnerable and in danger, Sky News reports. "We are treating mum as a victim in this case, and we are on standby to support her with everything she needs," he says. Investigators say there are thousands of partial matches on a national DNA database and they plan to speak to around 300 people who may be related to the parents. Harry and Roman has been adopted and Elsa is in foster care. Humm says that when officers met the toddler a few months ago, everyone was struggling to keep their emotions in check," the BBC reports. "The one who wasn't was Elsa, she was just the happiest, coolest." (More abandoned baby stories.)