The baby's identity remains a mystery
The tragic discovery of a young baby's remains was made by a dog walker, police have confirmed. Officers were called out to Ashtons Field, in Little Hulton, Salford, at around 12.30pm this afternoon (November 20).
Emergency services have been in attendance since then, with forensics scouring the field for evidence. At a press conference this evening, Chief Superintendent Neil Blackwood confirmed that the baby's identity, sex and ethnicity are yet to be determined.
The baby is now being called Baby A by Greater Manchester Police. Chf Supt Blackwood, GMP's district commander for Salford, told reporters: "Around about 12.30pm this afternoon, a member of the public who was out walking her dog has located what is the sad remains of Baby A."
Explaining the location where the remains were found, he added: "It was initially called in on Ravenscraig Road. It's a big park area as you can see. We've just come to that location. You can clearly tell from where we are now [Ashtons Field], this is our location."
The senior officer insisted it was 'absolutely too early to tell' the baby's sex, ethnicity or how long they had been left in the area. Police hope to have the results of a Home Office post mortem in the next two days.
Chf Supt Blackwood added: "We've had nobody come forward trying to give us information as of yet." He urged anyone with information to come forward as soon as possible.
"We know that this news will devastate our communities," said Chf Supt Blackwood. "And while we do not have all the answers to these questions yet, I want to reassure residents that we will do all we can to find out what has happened here.
"The most important thing for us right now is to find answers for this baby and I would urge anyone who has any information at all to get in touch with us. Even the most minor detail could be crucial to our investigation.
"If you have seen anyone in the area over the past few days, or know who the parents could be, please call us as soon as you can. As soon as we are in a position to confirm further details about the circumstances, we will do so. I encourage people to ring 101 and quote log 1319 or they can do so anonymously on Crimestoppers, which is 0800 555 111."