The body of a baby has been found in a field near a motorway in Greater Manchester.
The baby’s remains were discovered by a woman walking her dog near Ashtons Field, close to the M61 in Little Hulton, Salford, on Wednesday.
Greater Manchester Police were called to nearby Ravenscraig Road at around 1pm, and there was a major police presence at the scene throughout the afternoon.
At a press conference close to the scene, Chief Superintendent Neil Blackwood urged members of the public to come forward with any information that could help their investigation – as he vowed police would “do all we can” to establish the circumstances of the baby’s death.
“You will likely see an increased presence of officers in the local area while we carry out enquiries to understand the circumstances,” said Chf Supt Blackwood.
“At this stage, we are following several lines of enquiry and we are working with local partner agencies to understand who this baby could be, how long they have been here, and how they sadly died.
“We are now calling this baby ‘Baby A’. All of this is extremely sensitive and this investigation needs to be handled with the utmost care it deserves – and it is going to take time.
“We know this news will devastate our communities, 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.”
He added: “If you have seen anybody 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.”
Chf Supt Blackwood said it was “absolutely too early to tell” the sex or ethnicity of Baby A, or how long the body had been there prior to being discovered.
Police are awaiting the results of a Home Office post-mortem examination, which will take place in the next two days, he told reporters at the scene.
One Little Hulton resident told the Manchester Evening News that they “felt sick” upon learning that the baby’s body had been found, alleging that the area is unsafe and lacks CCTV cameras.
“Anyone can access it anytime they like,” she said, adding: “I’ve always said something was going to end up [happening] here and it was gonna be really serious.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101, quoting log 1319, or to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
