Dead babies discovery 'a tragedy'

The remains were found in boxes at the back of a wardrobe

Police have described the discovery of the remains of two babies in toy boxes at a house in Greater Manchester as a "tragic matter".

The remains were found hidden at the back of a wardrobe at the home on Rowcon Close in Audenshaw by the daughter of a woman who died in 2006.

It is thought that they may date back more than half a century.

The family only recently began to go through the woman's possessions after deciding to have a house clearance.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out on Thursday.

It is not yet known how old the children were or what sex they were.

One set was found in a pink doll's box and the other remains were in a blue toy box.

The only clue we have was the presence of a newspaper, dated November 26, 1956, alongside one of the bodies Det Insp Derek Weaver

A paediatric expert will carry out tests to try to find out how old the infants were at the time of death.

And DNA tests are also likely to be carried out on the remains in an attempt to identify them and to see if the children were related to the former owner of the house.

The woman was thought to be in her 70s when she died and had eight known children.

A paediatric forensic pathologist and an anthropologist will assist with the examination and the police investigation is continuing.

Det Insp Derek Weaver said: "We believe the boxes have been there for some time.

"The only clue we have was the presence of a newspaper, dated November 26, 1956, alongside one of the bodies."

'Shocked and bewildered'

He said the elderly woman may have lived at the address in Audenshaw for only a few years, with the family involved having lived at several locations across Greater Manchester in the past 30 or 40 years.

"We believe the woman who lived there died in July 2006. Her family kept the possessions on one side without ever looking at them until they recently decided to have a house clearance," Mr Weaver added.

"They are shocked and bewildered and it's obviously been quite a traumatic time. They have appealed for privacy."

He said that a public appeal for information was not needed at this stage as this was a "family matter".

He added: "It is a tragic story which we need to get to the bottom of."

Audenshaw, part of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, lies just on the edge of the city of Manchester.