Little Hulton: Urgent search for parents of dead baby found in snow covered field
Police have descended on a field after the remains of a baby was discovered. Emergency services have set up a scene near Salford, Greater Manchester[1], close to a motorway bridge. A forensic tent has been erected as investigations continue into the tragedy, reports the Manchester Evening News[2].
An ambulance was earlier seen in attendance off Cleggs Lane alongside police from 1pm today. Officers have been in attendance since then, with a spokesperson confirming the remains of a young baby were discovered on Ravenscraight Road, near Ashtons Field in Little Hulton. Thank you for following our live blog.
It has now come to an end.
18:21Antony Clements-Thrower
Horror as dog walker finds dead baby in snow covered field as police make urgent plea
Police investigating the sad death of a baby have appealed for its parents to get in touch after a dogwalker found the remains in a snow covered field today. Greater Manchester Police and ambulance crews rushed to the scene in Little Hulton at around 1pm following the grisly discovery. Officers are so far unable to confirm the tot’s gender or ethnicity as the investigation begins but have designated it Baby A.
A post mortem is expected to take place in the coming days. During a press conference at the scene, Chief Superintendent and District Commander for Salford, Neil Blackwood, made an appeal for the baby’s parents to contact the force. 
Police at the scene on Ravenscraig Road near Ashtons Field, Salford (PA)17:54Antony Clements-Thrower
Greater Manchester Police statement in full
“Tragically today we found the remains of what we believe to be a young baby.
“We have a scene in place and you will likely see an increase in the numbe rof officers in the local area while we carry out enquiries. To understand the circumstances. At this stage we followed several lines of enquiry and working with partner agencies to understand who this baby could be, how long they’ve been here and how they have sadly died.
“We are now calling this baby, Baby A. All of this is extremely sensitive and this investigation needs to be handled with upmost care it deserves and it will take time. “We know this news will devastate communities and while we do not have all the answers yet I want to reassure residents we will do all we can to find out what has happened here.
“The most important thing for us right now is to find answers for this baby and I urge anyone with any information at all to get in touch with us. Even the most minor detail could be crucial to our investigation. “If you’ve seen anyone in the area over the past few days or know who the parents could be please call us as soon as you can.
“As soon as we are in a position to confirm further details about the circumstances, we will do so.”
17:43Antony Clements-Thrower
‘We have no idea about baby’s sex or ethnicity’
Police investigating the sad discovery say they do not yet know the baby’s gender or ethnicity – nor how long it had been in the field. During the update, Chief Superintendent and District Commander for Salford, Neil Blackwood said: “At around about 12.30 this afternoon a member of the public who was out walking her dog has located what is the sad remains of baby A. “We absolutely have no idea about the ethnicity or the sex at this moment in time and we’ve had nobody come forward trying to give us information regarding it as of yet.”
He added it is “absolutely too early to say” how long the baby had been in the field for.
17:38Antony Clements-Thrower
Police name infant ‘Baby A’ as investigations into death begin
During this evening’s brief press conference it was revealed the tiny tot has been named Baby A as investigations into its identity go on. Chief Superintendent Blackwood added: “I want to reassure residents we are doing all we can to understand what has happened here.”
17:33Antony Clements-Thrower
Press conference begins as police give update
Chief Superintendent and District Commander for Salford, Neil Blackwood said: “At this stage we are working on several lines of enquiry and working with other agencies to understand who this baby could be, how they got here and how they sadly died.”
17:33KEY EVENT
Watch as police give update on investigation
17:19Antony Clements-Thrower
Police press conference set to begin
Chief Superintendent and District Commander for Salford, Neil Blackwood, is set to read out a statement on the incident in around ten minutes.
17:06Antony Clements-Thrower
Resident ‘felt sick’ when she heard of tragedy
A resident who lives close to the area said they “felt sick” when they heard about the incident. The unnamed person said the area is not safe as there are no cameras in operation.
She told MEN[4]: “They need to do something anyway, it’s not safe, there’s no cameras. Anyone can access it anytime they like. “They need to do something, I’ve always said something was gonna end up here and it was going to be really serious.”
Forensic officers at the scene this afternoon (MEN Media)16:44Antony Clements-Thrower
Where is the scene?
According to MEN, the scene is close to the M61 bridge, off the A5082 Cleggs Lane.The area is a busy route between Salford and Bolton but there are no houses nearby.16:33Antony Clements-Thrower
Area cordoned off as investigations into death continue
Investigations into the tragedy continue this afternoon.
A police cordon has been put in place.
An area off the main road has been cordoned off (Manchester Evening News)16:25Antony Clements-Thrower
Emergency vehicles at the scene
Police and ambulance crews are at the scene of the incident.
Several emergency vehicles are at the scene in Ravenscraig Road (Manchester Evening News)16:22KEY EVENT
Police press conference to be held this evening
Greater Manchester Police are set to give a press conference on the incident in around an hour’s time
16:15Antony Clements-Thrower
Baby found dead near motorway bridge
The sad remains of a baby have been discovered in a field near Salford, Greater Manchester.
References
- ^ Manchester (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Manchester Evening News (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ MEN (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)