Shropshire Star

DNA hunt for clues to trace mother of newborn baby found dead on beach

The girl was discovered partly buried by a volunteer cleaning Bell’s Beach in Balbriggan, Dublin, on Saturday morning.

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Balbriggan Beach

Investigators will trawl through a DNA database to try to find the mother of a dead newborn baby girl found wrapped in a cloth on a beach in Ireland.

The baby, named by gardai as Belle, was discovered partly buried by a volunteer cleaning Bell’s Beach in Balbriggan, Dublin, on Saturday morning.

A post-mortem examination showed that the baby was stillborn and was on the beach for fewer than 24 hours.

The body will remain with the coroner until she is released for burial. Gardai and the local authority are expected to arrange the funeral.

Balbriggan Beach
The beach at Balbriggan (Niall Carson/PA)

In a fresh appeal to help find the mother, Sergeant Fiona Savidge of Balbriggan Garda Station said: “The primary concern is the health and welfare of the mother and the medical assistance that can be offered to Belle’s mum.

“The safety of Belle’s mum is of paramount importance.

“The post-mortem results showed that it was the birth of a baby girl, she was full term and unfortunately baby Belle was stillborn.

“The name is significant in that the location where Belle was found is Bell’s Beach, along with the fact we are in the festive period. The name Belle is also significant in that it’s the French name for beautiful.

“I want to thank everyone in the general area for their assistance and for the number of phone calls that have been received by Balbriggan Garda Station.”

Eilidh McNab, area manager for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in north Dublin, said: “We are here to ask the mother to please seek medical attention.

“She will know that the gardai in Balbriggan will have named her beautiful baby Belle, and we want her to seek medical attention and receive the care, support and attention she needs and deserves.”

Gardai are trying to establish how the baby got to the beach but say they are satisfied she was not washed up.

Officers will also search through local CCTV to try to identify the mother or who was involved in the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda Station on 018 0666 000 or Tusla on 0818 776315.

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