COPS have located a mum and baby “safe and well” after a human placenta was found in a park eight months ago.
The discovery by a 15-year-old boy on a wooded path in June last year sparked a major police search in Southampton, Hampshire, to try to track them down.
A human placenta was discovered in the Holly Brook park area of Southampton in June last yearSolent
It sparked a major police search to try to track the mum and baby downSolent
The mother and her child have now been located ‘in the city’, police said today.
A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: “Following months of investigation, which has included reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, house-to-house enquiries, speaking to witnesses in the area and liaising with partnership agencies, we are pleased to now be able to conclude this investigation on a positive note.
“Our enquiries have confirmed the individuals involved and that there is no criminal investigation into what has taken place.”
Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy said that the family had “done nothing wrong” and there would be no criminal investigation.
He said: “We are delighted that this is the conclusion of this case, which we all hoped it would be, following months of work to locate those involved and ensure that they were safe and well.
“We as police had a duty to investigate the discovery, which is a highly unusual occurrence for the area.
“We had to consider the very real possibility that the mother and baby involved had potentially come to harm, and we needed to do everything we could to ensure that this wasn’t the case.
“If it had been the case, it was vital that we offered the appropriate support and help, as well as bringing anyone who may have caused them harm, to justice.
“We have established that the family involved have done nothing wrong, and there is to be no criminal investigation now that they have been located.”
The placenta was found on June 21 just half a mile from Southampton General Hospital.
But the whereabouts of mother and child remained a mystery for eight months.
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