Appeal to man in attic baby case

Police have carried out searches at the property

A man who contacted police about the remains of a baby found in the attic of a house is being urged to get back in touch with the investigating team.

Officers want the man who went to Merthyr Tydfil police station to contact the incident room again.

The remains of the child were found in a suitcase by the new owner of the house on the town's Gurnos estate.

Police have carried out inquiries and are waiting for the results of a DNA sample to try to identify the mother.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Richards from South Wales Police is leading the investigation and issued a specific appeal on Tuesday.

"We would particularly appeal to a man who came to Merthyr police station to re-contact the incident room and speak to us in confidence," he said.

"We think he may hold some key information and we need to speak to him again.

"He came in but did not leave his name or any details but we think he may hold some vital information.

"I don't think he is a former resident of the house because we have spoken to them all but he does hold some information."

Several former occupants of the house in Penyfan View have been interviewed by police.

Forensic techniques are being used to try to identify the child's mother.

It is expected that a DNA sample from the remains will be obtained within two weeks.

"We hope that the mother will come forward - we appreciate that she must have gone through a traumatic time and may be reliving it but this investigation won't go away," said Det Ch Ins Richards.

"So far we have carried out house-to-house enquiries in the area and have spoken to several former occupants of the house.

"Ongoing forensic examination is centred around obtaining DNA from the remains which will hopefully lead us to identification of the mother and we are still awaiting test results."

Information

He urged anyone with any information about the discovery or who may have had access to the property to come forward.

Around 20 officers are working on the investigation.

A post-mortem examination of the baby's remains has been carried out but a cause of death could not be established. It is also not known what sex the baby was - however pathologists believe that the baby was full-term however the age of the remains are hampering the investigation.

"We believe they are years not months old," said Det Ch Ins Richards.

South Wales Police said it was treating the discovery as suspicious because the circumstances have yet to be determined.

South Wales Police said that anyone with any information should contact the incident room confidentially on 01685 722541 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.