Fylde baby tragedy - one year on

A TOP detective investigating the death of a baby boy today made a heartfelt plea for a mother to come forward – one year on from the youngster’s body being found.

Despite numerous appeals, police have still not heard from the family of the boy, who was found dead in Spen Brook, near Kirkham, by dog walkers on October 1, 2011.

The body of the full-term baby was found in the stream, a few hundreds yards from the Boys Brigade Club on Carr Lane, close to a badly discoloured blue and white fleece from ASDA George and two towels – one green and another with a Union Flag design.

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Det Chief Insp Andrea Barrow, from Lancashire Police’s force major investigation team, said: “The family of this baby boy would have been celebrating his first birthday and I am sure the mother is thinking about her baby.

“I am a mother of two children myself and I know as a mum this would be such an emotional time.

“This baby’s mother will be thinking about him constantly and she will be imagining what he’d look like now if he was still alive.

“It is never going to go away. She will always think about the baby, it will always be on her mind.

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“I want to make it clear to her we are not going to stop looking.

“This is very much a live investigation and we are determined to identify the parents.

“So I would like to appeal directly to her to come forward and speak to us so we can find the answers we need.”

The death of the child sent shock waves through the Kirkham community and in June, tearful locals turned out to pay their respects to the baby at his funeral in the town’s St Michael’s Church.

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Generous residents raised more than £1,000 to pay for the youngster’s funeral before local businesses stepped in.

It was decided the cash would be split between Brian House Children’s Hospice and the Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre branch of the Stillbirth and Neo-natal Death Charity.

Det Chief Insp Barrow added: “I believe that someone knows who the mother is and I would urge them to come forward and tell us what they know.

“It’s not too late to speak to us.”

Anyone with information can contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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