Police hunting the mother of a newborn boy found alive but abandoned in a Birmingham park issue CCTV of a woman they want to trace
- Baby boy was possibly just hours old when he was discovered by a dogwalker
- CCTV footage shows a woman walking along Shannon Road just before 5.10pm
- Police ‘very concerned’ for the welfare of the baby’s mother as search continues
CCTV footage has been released by detectives seeking a woman they believe could help with their inquiries, as they continue to search for the mother of a newborn baby found in a Birmingham park.
The baby boy was possibly just hours old when he was discovered by a dog walker on at The Mounds in Kings Norton in the southwest of the city at around 5.30pm on Thursday.
CCTV footage shows a woman walking along Shannon Road just before 5.10pm that afternoon.
CCTV footage shows a woman walking along Shannon Road just before 5.10pm that afternoon
The force said: ‘We’re appealing directly to the mother of the boy or anyone who knows who she is to please get in touch’
The force said it is ‘very concerned’ for the welfare of the baby’s mother.
In a statement issued on Sunday, it said: ‘The baby boy was possibly only hours old when he was found, clothed and wrapped in a blanket, by a dog walker.
‘He is being cared for at hospital where he is thought to be full-term, healthy and doing well.
‘Sadly we’ve still not been able to find the mother of this little boy.
‘We’re very concerned for her and want to check she is doing OK, both physically and mentally.
‘This is our only concern right now, giving birth is a big thing and we’re concerned she will need medical help.
‘This must be a very difficult time for her so we’re keen to talk to her as soon as possible.
‘We’re appealing directly to the mother of the boy or anyone who knows who she is to please get in touch.
Semi-retired royal engineer Terry Walsh (pictured), 64, was left stunned when his female dog, Hel, miraculously uncovered the hours-old infant wrapped in a blanket at The Mound in Kings Norton
He was wearing an orange striped T-shirt with a picture of a dinosaur on it and the words ‘Dino Dude’
The child was found by a passing dog walker in a park known in Birmingham as The Mound, off Shannons Road in Kings Norton
‘If anyone recognises the woman in the CCTV, please get in touch, she may hold vital information.’
Semi-retired royal engineer Terry Walsh, 64, was left stunned when his female dog, Hel, miraculously uncovered the hours-old infant.
Meanwhile, police have released pictures of a £1 Matalan T-shirt worn by the baby boy when he was found, as police desperately search for the mother.
Without the help of his husky Mr Walsh would have walked by what he thought was a discarded blanket.
Fortunately, he heard the baby crying after Hel ran over, lay beside the rolled-up shawl and began ‘gently nudging’ the baby with his nose.
The baby was wearing an orange striped T-shirt with a picture of a dinosaur on it and the words ‘Dino Dude’.
Also, he wore grey bottoms and was wrapped in a white-and-grey blanket with a zig-zag pattern.
Speaking for the first time about the discovery, Mr Walsh said he saw ‘a rolled up blanket just under the bushes’.
He added: ‘I turned round to grab hold of Hel so she didn’t go over the glass, and she went off to the blanket, lying next to it and started nudging it with her nose very gently.
‘Suddenly I heard this baby cry. I think it was Hel’s gentle nudging and the heat from my Husky bitch’s body that woke the baby up.
‘A bigger dog or another dog with a different temperament might well have just ripped and tugged at the blanket and the baby could have been treated like a ragdoll and then you’ve also got the foxes and the rats and everything in there. How would they treat a baby?’
People can contact West Midlands Police via their website or by calling 101 and quoting log 3476 of April 22.
Alternatively, witnesses can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.