On the first anniversary of the discovery of the third child, a £20,000 reward is being given for information that identifies the parents of three siblings who were discovered abandoned in London during an eight-year period, reports RTE.
Although the parents of the three children, Elsa, Roman, and Harry, have not been identified after the study of over 450 hours of CCTV footage, the Metropolitan Police stated that it is thought that their mother has resided in a region of east London “for the past six years.”
On January 18, 2018, a dog walker discovered Elsa, who was said to be less than an hour old, abandoned near the intersection of Greenway and High Street South in East Ham, east London, reports RTE.
In the months that followed, it was discovered that she had two brothers who had also been abandoned in the same part of London in 2017 and 2019 under identical circumstances.
According to police, the independent organisation Crimestoppers has offered a £20,000 reward for information that is turned in to the organisation. The prize will run out on April 18.
“Over the past year, we have conducted extensive enquiries to try and locate Elsa’s parents. This has involved reviewing over 450 hours of CCTV and completing a full DNA structure of the mother. We have also worked with wider specialists who are of the view that the mum and possibly also the father have been residing in the Plaistow or East Ham area over the past six years,” said Detective Inspector Jamie Humm, who is part of the Met’s child abuse investigation unit, reports RTE.
“We have serious concerns for the wellbeing of the parents, especially the mother, and are continuing to work closely with Newham Council and appeal for the public’s help for information. I believe that someone in the area will have been aware of the mother’s pregnancies and that within the community there may be (or) have been concerns for this mother’s welfare. I share these concerns with you, so if you have any information, no matter how small it may seem, please contact us. Thanks to the DNA work of forensic colleagues, police will be able to eliminate any unconnected person quickly and easily, as such I would ask you to contact police with confidence,” he added, reports RTE.
“I would also appeal to professionals in the area, such as those in health, care, education or the charitable sector, to consider whether they have encountered the mother without realising it at the time. The three babies in this investigation are thankfully healthy and well, and we are continuing momentum behind this investigation to identify the parents,” reports RTE.
It was “highly likely” at the time, according to the police, that she was delivered following a “concealed pregnancy”.
At around 8.45 p.m. on January 18, officers reported seeing a lady carrying a knapsack and wearing a thick, black coat with a light-colored scarf or hood over her neck. The woman was entering the Greenway via the High Street South gate, reports RTE.
At an initial court hearing, East London Family Court was informed by the BBC that it took physicians three hours to take Elsa’s temperature due to the cold, and the Met Office stated that temperatures on the night she was discovered fell as low as -4C.
In homage to the character from the movie Frozen, the hospital personnel gave her the name Elsa, reports RTE.
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