Woman arrested on suspicion of murdering baby more than 40 years ago

File photo:  The woman’s arrest is related to the discovery of a body of a newborn baby girl in the town in May 1982. (Getty Images)
File photo: The woman’s arrest is related to the discovery of a body of a newborn baby girl in the town in May 1982. (Getty Images)

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a baby more than 40 years ago.

The body of the newborn girl was found in Northampton in 1982 and prompted a major police investigation, which was eventually closed in 1993 with no-one prosecuted.

New evidence surfaced in 2023 following a cold case review by Northamptonshire Police, leading to the arrest, the force said.

The suspect was bailed on Thursday pending further inquiries.

Detective Johnny Campbell, of the force’s major crime time, said: “This has been an extremely complex investigation into events that happened more than four decades ago and a great deal of work has gone in to getting us to this point.

“Dozens of officers from both Northamptonshire Police and our colleagues in the region have been involved in the operation over the past 48 hours or more, and I would like to thank all of them for their work.

“This inquiry remains live and ongoing, and, as such, Northamptonshire Police will be making no further comment at this time.”