£20,000 reward to find parents of baby girl abandoned in Boots bag

The Boots bag in which baby Elsa was found abandoned by a dog walker
-Credit:PA


A year on from the discovery of a newborn baby girl abandoned in freezing conditions, detectives have provided an update. The infant, christened Elsa due to the icy circumstances of her discovery, is one of three siblings left in the same part of London over a span of seven years.

Police are persisting in their efforts to find the parents, who they believe may be in need of help, and have put up a £20,000 reward for any information that could assist them. On January 18 last year, police received a call at 9.13pm from a member of the public who had found a newborn baby swaddled in a towel inside a Boots shopping bag, near the junction of Greenway and High Street South, in the city's east end.

The tiny girl was less than an hour old when she was discovered in the bag. Her brother and sister had been found in the same vicinity with less than two years between each incident.

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Thankfully, the baby was unharmed and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure. She has since been discharged and placed into suitable care.

Investigations by the Met's Child Abuse Investigation Team revealed that Elsa is biologically linked to two other babies, named Roman and Harry, who were also found under similar circumstances nearby in 2017 and 2019, reports Wales Online.

Detective Inspector Jamie Humm from the Met Police's child abuse investigation team has disclosed: "We have carried out extensive inquiries over the past year to try and locate Elsa's parents. This has involved reviewing over 450 hours of CCTV and completing a full DNA structure of the mother. We have also worked with wider specialists who are of the view that the mum and possibly also the father have been residing in the Plaistow or East Ham area over the past six years. We have serious concerns for the wellbeing of the parents, especially the mother, and are continuing to work closely with Newham Council and appeal for the public's help for information."

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The police officer expressed his belief that local residents might hold vital clues: "I believe that someone in the area will have been aware of the mother's pregnancies and that within the community there may be have been concerns for this mother's welfare. I share these concerns with you so if you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please contact us."

He further encouraged the public to come forward with confidence, thanks to forensic advancements: "Thanks to the DNA work of forensic colleagues police will be able to eliminate any unconnected person quickly and easily. As such I would ask you to contact police with confidence. I would also appeal to professionals in the area, such as those in health, care, education, or the charitable sector, to consider whether they have encountered the mother without realising it at the time. The three babies in this investigation are thankfully healthy and well and we are continuing momentum behind this investigation to identify the parents."

To aid this investigation, the independent charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £20,000 for information provided to them anonymously. Information can be submitted to Crimestoppers 24/7 via their website Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling their UK-based contact centre on 0800 555 111.

Anyone with relevant information is urged to call police on 101 or post @MetCC using the reference Operation Wolcott.

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