Police have appealed for a mother to come forward after a dead newborn boy was found by a council refuse worker outside a church in west London.
Metropolitan Police superintendent Owen Renowden gave an update on the force’s investigation after the baby was found in a black M&S shopping bag in Notting Hill at 12.46pm on Tuesday.
London Ambulance Service also attended and the baby was declared dead at the scene.
“We were called at 12.46pm to All Saints’ Church near Talbot Road following the discovery of a newborn baby in a shopping bag,” Superintendent Renowden told reporters at a press conference in Notting Hill on Wednesday.
“This was a black Marks & Spencer’s bag with pictures of avocados on the side.
“The bag was discovered by a council refuse worker who immediately contacted the police.
“Officers attended alongside colleagues from the London Ambulance Service but very sadly the baby was pronounced dead at the scene.
“We can now confirm that the baby was a boy and we believe that he was a newborn when he died.”
Bunches of flowers and a toy bunny were left by a tree near where the police tent was on Tuesday night.
A lighted candle was left on a ledge outside the church, with a note which read: “God bless the little Baby x”.
Superintendent Renowden made a direct appeal to the mother, saying: “My priority remains with the mother’s welfare and health. We are really worried about her well-being as she will have recently given birth.
“I know she will likely be feeling very frightened and going through an extremely difficult time. If you are the baby’s mother and you see this today, I want to appeal directly to you to come forward and receive help.
“My priority is to help you and make sure that you can receive medical assistance. You can do this at any time by attending any hospital, police station or by calling the emergency services.”
He also made a wider appeal for any information that might help the police investigation, particularly urging members of the public who saw anyone in the area holding a Marks & Spencer’s bag with pictures of avocados on it.
Marcia Haynes, deputy warden at All Saints’ church, said she had “never heard anything like this in my life”.
“I came here to prepare for the food bank and I just saw loads of police arriving, and when I came out it was all taped over,” she told reporters.
Ms Haynes said when she found out a baby had died “it just freaked me out”, adding: “I just had to abandon what I was doing and go home because I thought I was going to be ill, to be honest.
“I’ve been here since 1966, I’ve never heard anything like this in my life.”
She said she let two police officers into the church on Tuesday.
“Two women officers asked me if they could come in and search the church, and I let them in, and they searched the toilets and all around the church,” Ms Haynes said.
“I presume they were looking for the mother in case she was hiding somewhere or something.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference CAD 3431/25March.
