Police investigate baby's death

Police sealed off the area to make searches

Police say they cannot be sure how long the body of a new-born baby lay by a river in a Devon village.

The body of the infant was discovered by a fisherman next to the river in Combeinteignhead near Newton Abbot on Tuesday morning.

The new-born's body had been placed inside a sack.

Police cordoned off the surrounding area while underwater searches and forensic tests were carried out.

A postmortem examination on the body of the baby, carried out at Torbay Hospital, proved inconclusive.

Detective superintendent Nigel Boulton said: "My concerns are with the mother and I would ask her to contact us and any family member."

He appealed for people in the medical profession and healthcare trusts in the area to contact police confidentially to help them locate the mother.

Mr Boulton also said a telephone appeal had been made to guest houses and hotels to see if they had spotted anything that would give them cause for concern.