Body of newborn baby boy just days old found in Walsall canal as cops search for mum

THE body of a newborn baby boy has been found in a canal as police desperately search for the tot's mum.

A passerby made the tragic discovery at Rough Wood country park in Walsall, West Mids, this afternoon.

Police and paramedics were sent to the scene but the tot – said to be just days old – was declared dead.

West Midlands Police today confirmed the boy had been found by a passerby about 1pm.

They said: "Sadly it has been confirmed that the baby, believed to be a newborn, is dead. We’re now investigating these very sad circumstances to understand exactly what has happened and if anyone has come to harm."

Cops are now hunting for the mother to make sure she is OK.

Detective Inspector Wes Martin from force CID, said: “This is a tragic investigation and our priority is to now find the baby boy’s mum to make sure she is OK.

“She may be in need of urgent medical attention and she is our absolute priority at the moment.

“We have been speaking to members of the public and would urge anyone with information to get in touch."

A stretch of the Wyrley & Essington Canal and the surrounding parkland was cordoned off by police following the tragic discovery.

A witness told how emergency services arrived shortly after 1pm.

They said: “The nature reserve is cordoned off at pretty much every entrance. People walking up the towpath have been stopped and told to go back.

“Search teams arrived with wetsuits and there was a police officer carrying a drone.

“It’s just so tragic.”

One woman told how passers-by were being turned away from the canal.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was also sent to the canal.

A spokesman said: “We were called by police at 1:14pm to Rough Wood Country Park, Willenhall. We sent two ambulances, a paramedic officer and a critical care paramedic to the scene.”

In April, a newborn was found dead in a Morrisons car park in nearby Bilston, Wolverhampton.

A 21-year-old woman and 36-year-old man were arrested and later bailed.

A baby boy was also found abandoned in a park in Kings Norton, Birmingham, in the same month.

He has since been taken into foster care because his parents failed to come forward.

West Midlands Police said it was preparing to put out a statement.

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