A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a newborn baby girl who was found in Northampton more than 40 years ago, police said.
The 57-year-old suspect was arrested in Northampton on Tuesday morning and taken to a location in the county for questioning by detectives.
Her arrest was related to the discovery of the baby’s body in the town in May 1982, Northamptonshire police said.
The case was the subject of a major police investigation but nobody was prosecuted and the inquiry closed in 1993. New evidence emerged in 2023 after a cold case review by Northamptonshire police, which resulted in this week’s arrest.
The force said the suspect was released on bail on Thursday afternoon pending further inquiries.
It is understood the baby was found strangled and wrapped in cloth near Northampton railway station. She was buried in Towcester Road cemetery in November 1982 but did not get a headstone until 2019 after a campaign by a former local vicar, according to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.
DCI Johnny Campbell, of the major crime team of the East Midlands special operations unit, 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 into 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.”
