The body of a baby boy was found in a private garden of a property in Victoria Quadrant, Weston-super-Mare on Saturday 12th December 2020 shortly before 09:00 hours.
Initially, Avon and Somerset police were treating the baby’s death as unexplained and had appealed to the public for information.
The force then released a statement to say it had located a woman who they believed to be the baby’s mother, and she had been taken immediately to a hospital for expert medical attention and support.
Yesterday, the force released a further statement which said that the Major Crime Investigation Team was now handling the investigation after ‘significant developments’.
Senior Investigating Officer Det Ch Insp James Riccio said:
“Due to significant developments in this investigation, I can confirm we’re now treating the baby’s death as a potential homicide. A man and a woman have been arrested, and they are in custody for questioning.
“A forensic post-mortem examination will be held later this week, but we don’t anticipate any conclusive results for some time.
“I know this development will cause concern in the local community, particularly in light of the tragic circumstances, but I would stress that while this is being treated as a potential homicide, we are keeping an open mind and will always be led by the evidence.
“We’ve been heartened by the wholly supportive response from the Weston-super-Mare community over the past two days. Our neighbourhood team will be carrying out additional reassurance patrols of the affected area, so please stop an officer and speak to them if you have any worries or questions. We are here to help.”
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