The third of three siblings who were abandoned in east London over an eight-year period is to be adopted in what judge describes as “quite extraordinary” story.
Three children, known as Harry, Roman and Elsa, were discovered in the same area of east London in 2017, 2019 and 2024 respectively. Despite an extensive police search, their parents have never been found.
Scotland Yard has said its inquiries have been “exhausted”, but reiterated a plea for anyone with information to come forward.
Elsa has been looked after by foster carers after being discovered by a dog walker in a shopping bag in Newham on 18 January 2024. Her brother and sister, Harry and Roman (not their real names), have already been adopted.
At the East London family court on Thursday, Judge Atkinson ruled Elsa should remain with those caring for her, which would “pave the way” for them to apply to adopt her.
Highlighting the extraordinary nature of Elsa’s story, she said in her judgment that only eight children were registered as abandoned in England and Wales between 2008 and 2018.
“Elsa is a beautiful little girl, a raucous bundle of excitement and laughter,” Atkinson said. “I am pleased to have seen photos of her. I know from reports that she lights up the space around her. She is happy and settled in her new family, as yet unaware of how she differs from other children.”
She added that Elsa’s “best chance in life comes with a permanent placement in an alternative family”, and said: “These siblings share something quite extraordinary. No one that they will meet in life is likely to understand what it is like to be a foundling, but they each know and understand.”
In June 2024, the judge ruled the media could report the familial link between Elsa and her two siblings after an application by the Press Association and the BBC.
Elsa was believed to be about an hour old when she was found wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag at the edge of a park in East Ham. Hospital staff named her Elsa, after the character from the film Frozen.
Roman was found in similar circumstances in a play area in Newham in late January 2019, when freezing temperatures and snow gripped the city. And, in September 2017, Harry had been found wrapped in a white blanket in Plaistow.
In written submissions for Thursday’s hearing, Kate Claxton, for Newham council, said there would be contact between the siblings, including play dates and letters.
Police have been unable to identify their mother, despite establishing a full DNA profile, reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and offering a £20,000 reward for three months last year.
Last year, their search narrowed to about 400 homes from which experts believed the person who abandoned the children – who may or may not have been their mother – could have travelled. This proved unsuccessful, with officers saying they “cannot discount” a fourth child being found as time passes.
Speaking to PA Media in May, DI Jamie Humm, the senior investigating officer, said the case was “wholly unprecedented”, but that police must conclude the person who abandoned the children “did not want to be found”.
He said he believed the mother “is vulnerable, is in danger, and is in a position where they feel that they are unable to come forward for whatever reason”.
On Thursday, Atkinson said the way Elsa was abandoned caused her “significant physical harm”, but that police had been “tenacious” and “tireless” in their efforts to find the parents.
