- Blood-detecting dog joins search for mother and newborn baby
- Placenta and umbilical cord discovered on the banks of the Cooks River
A blood-detecting dog has joined the desperate search for a mother who gave birth to a baby on a riverbank as police reveal a new area of interest.
Emergency services were called to the banks of the Cooks River in Earlwood, south-west of Sydney, about 4.30pm on Monday after a passer-by walking a dog spotted a placenta and umbilical cord.
Search teams, boats and divers returned to the river at first light on Tuesday after a large-scale search of the river and surrounding areas was carried out overnight.
Police divers are currently scouring the mangroves and shore of the Cooks River while a blood detection dog joins the search.
“We have located an area where we need to carry out further forensic examinations and I will have more to say about that once we know what it is,” Detective Chief Superintendent Christine McDonald said at a press conference on Tuesday.
She said childbirth could be a distressing and traumatic time.
“I am deeply concerned for the safety and mental health of the mother and also for the safety of her baby,” Superintendent McDonald said.
‘I ask you to reach out to the health services, the police and anyone who can offer you any support during this very difficult time.
“I need to know that he is safe and that he is getting the support he needs right now.”
A blood-detecting dog has joined the search for a mother and newborn baby (pictured, detectives and officers at the scene Tuesday morning)
Police say area of interest on Cooks River will receive more forensic testing
More to come.