Officers appeal to twins' mother

The babies were found in the car park of Heartlands Hospital Enlarge Image

Detectives searching for a mother who left her newborn twins in a Birmingham car park have appealed to her directly.

Det Insp Dave Wallbank said he knew she cared about the twins as she left them at a hospital and he was releasing the photos so she could see how they were.

Officers said the babies, named Holly and Joseph by nursing staff, were about six hours old when they were found.

He added police were searching through medical records and running DNA tests in a bid to trace the mother.

A female officer has been assigned to the case in the hope the mother may feel more able to come forward.

Det Insp Vicki Stephenson said she had seen the babies and they are beautiful.

The fact the babies were left at a hospital, to me, shows she cared that they would be found Det Insp Dave Wallbank

"I would urge the mother to come and see exactly how they are," she said.

She added: "I would like to talk to her, not just as a police officer but as someone concerned about her welfare.

"It is not necessarily a criminal matter."

The babies were found in the car park of Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham at about 0930 GMT on Tuesday.

Det Insp Dave Wallbank said they cannot have been left there before 0600 that day as it had been raining and the box they were found in was dry.

He added DNA tests were being run on the box in a bid to find the mother.

"We understand she may not wish to be reunited with them. Her wishes are paramount," he said.

"But the fact they were left at the hospital, to me, shows she cared that they would be found."

CCTV examined

On Wednesday, hospital staff said the babies had a good night. They are both in incubators and on drips for fluids.

Spokeswoman Lisa Dunne said Joseph had his first milk during the night.

"Both babies were very cold when they came in. They are both small and Holly is the smaller one so we were a little worried about her.

"But they had a good night," she said.

Medical staff are worried about the mother's health as an infection was found in the twins' placenta.