A £20,000 reward is being offered to help find the parents of three children who have been abandoned in London over eight years.
Police have trawled through more than 450 hours of CCTV and completed the full DNA profile of the mother, but have yet to discover her identity, or that of the children’s father.
The latest appeal comes a year after a baby girl was found by a dog walker in a shopping bag on a freezing night in Newham, last January, when temperatures dipped to -4C. She was just one hour old when she was found.
Hospital staff named the child Baby Elsa – after the character from the Disney film Frozen.
It was subsequently revealed in June that DNA tests show the youngster is the full sibling of Baby Harry, who was found abandoned in a park in Plaistow in 2017, and Baby Roman who was found in a park in Newham in 2019.
Police believe their mother, and possibly also father, have been living in the Plaistow or East Ham ‘over the past six years’.
Investigators added that they have ‘serious concerns’ for the wellbeing of both, but ‘especially the mother’.
Detective Inspector Jamie Humm of the Child Abuse Investigation Team said: ‘We have carried out extensive enquiries over the past year to try and locate Elsa’s parents.
A £20,000 reward is being offered to help find the parents of three children who have been abandoned in London over eight years. Pictured: Baby Harry, who was found in 2017
Baby Roman was found abandoned in a park in Newham, east London, in January 2019
‘This has involved reviewing over 450 hours of CCTV and completing a full DNA structure of the mother.
‘We have also worked with wider specialists who are of the view that the mum and possibly also the father have been residing in the Plaistow or East Ham area over the past six years.
‘We have serious concerns for the well-being of the parents, especially the mother and are continuing to work closely with Newham Council and appeal for the public’s help for information.
‘I believe that someone in the area will have been aware of the mother’s pregnancies and that within the community there may be have been concerns for this mother’s welfare.
‘I share these concerns with you so if you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please contact us.
‘Thanks to the DNA work of forensic colleagues, police will be able to eliminate any unconnected person quickly and easily, as such I would ask you to contact police with confidence.
‘I would also appeal to professionals in the area, such as those in health, care, education or the charitable sector to consider whether they have encountered the mother without realising it at the time.
‘The three babies in this investigation are thankfully healthy and well, and we are continuing momentum behind this investigation to identify the parents.’
Met Police has released this image of the Boots bag that Baby Elsa was found in last January
In June Judge Carol Atkinson at the East London Family Court amended restrictions to allow the familial link between the three children to be reported following an application by PA news agency and the BBC.
She said it was of ‘great public interest’ and doing so could help identify the biological parents who still have not been found.
The oldest child, known as Harry, was found in a park close to Balaam Street in Plaistow, east London, on September 17, 2017.
He was found wrapped in a white blanket at 8.20am before being rushed to hospital, sparking a police appeal for the mother to come forward.
This was followed by the discovery of the second baby who was found inside a shopping bag next to a bench in a park in Newham, east London, on January 31, 2019.
The child, who was named Roman after being found on Roman Road, was reportedly wrapped in a towel and placed in a Sainsbury’s bag.
The newborn was found by a Lithuanian grandmother and her son while they were walking their dog 100 yards from their home.
Rima Zvaliauskiene said at the time: ‘There was a crying noise from the bag. She was crying for her life. The baby saved herself.’
She added, in an interview with Sun Online: ‘At first I thought it was an animal’.
Her son, Ovidijus, added: ‘She looked a bit purple. She very cold to the touch. Her forehead and ears looked like they were a bit frosty, she was cold.
‘We feel great that we helped save the baby’s life. I’m glad we were there or the baby might not have survived too much longer’.
Like with Roman, Elsa was found dumped in a shopping bag and was believed to be just one-hour old when she was found at 9.13pm as temperatures plunged to -4C on the cold winter night.
One local restaurant manager, Tania Iurac, told how she saw a ‘commotion’ while walking home from work after the newborn was left in a ‘really visible area’.
Ms Iurac, 25, said she and her flatmate saw up to seven police officers at the scene around two hours after the baby was discovered.
‘I saw a commotion by Greenway park. We saw a white towel on the floor surrounded by six to seven police officers.
‘The towel was by a red route clearway sign. But the baby and the plastic bag weren’t there.
Baby Elsa was found near a part at the junction of the Greenway and High Street South in Newham, east London
Chief Superintendent Simon Crick speaking to the media at the scene in Newham, east London
‘I think the mother wanted the baby to be found. The towel was in a really visible area next to the main road. It was absolutely freezing last night.’
Police said at the time that it was ‘highly likely’ Baby Elsa was born after a ‘concealed pregnancy’.
The £20,000 reward has been offered by Crimestoppers and will expire on 18 April.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or post @MetCC, with the reference Operation Wolcott.
