Police appeal for information in locating mother and newborn

Forensic teams will search the mangroves around the Cooks River where a placenta and umbilical cord were found by passersby.

Transcript

00:00About 4.30 p.m. yesterday afternoon police were called to the water's edge

00:05of the Cooks River here in Irrwood in relation to what a passerby describes

00:09as the signs of a birth. Police attended and spoke to the passerby and we

00:15conducted some forensic examinations and I can confirm that a placenta and a

00:21umbilical cord of a human was located. Last night we commenced a search of the

00:28immediate area. That search has continued this morning. We have police

00:33divers currently searching the mangroves and the water's edge of the Cooks River.

00:39We also have a blood detection dog that has just arrived and just moments before

00:45conducting this conference we have located an area that we need to do

00:51further forensic examination and I will have more to say about that once we know

00:56what that is. Last night I appealed for anyone with

01:01information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Anyone that might

01:08have been in the area of Lang Road, Wardell Road, Tenant Parade and Ewan Park

01:16in the Irrwood and Hurlston Park areas that may have noticed a distressed woman

01:22or a pregnant woman and had any information that they could assist

01:27police with this investigation to come forward. That appeal continues. If anyone

01:35has any information it would be greatly appreciated at this time. Can I say that

01:43childbirth for many people can be a traumatic time and it can be very

01:48distressing. I am deeply concerned for the safety and the mental health of the

01:55mother and also for the safety of her baby. I ask that she comes forward to

02:02health services, to police, to anyone that can offer her any form of support during

02:09this very difficult time. I need to know that she is safe and I need to know that

02:15she's receiving the support that she needs right now. Yes that's certainly a

02:20possibility that the person that has given birth and subsequently the reason

02:27for the placenta and umbilical cord being in the Cooks River doesn't want

02:32anyone to know. There is no judgment. They need to know that we are concerned for

02:40them, that we are wanting to know that they are safe. As we know childbirth

02:46presents a number of health concerns hence why we are requesting that the

02:51mother goes straight to a hospital and speaks to health professionals. How the

02:55umbilical cord became detached is part of our inquiries.

03:00Was it cut? I can't say that at this stage. What I can say is that the

03:04placenta and umbilical cord has been sent for priority testing this morning

03:08with a pathologist and I hope to have the results of that today and I will be

03:13able to provide an update once I have those results. The gestation period is

03:18unknown. How long it was down by the river is unknown. So there's a lot of

03:23unknowns at the moment but that's why we're asking anyone with information to

03:27please help us with this investigation because we do have extreme concern for

03:33our mother and her baby and we want it resolved quickly.