Police Appeal to Mother After Newborn Girl's Body Found on Bangor Shoreline

Police investigating the discovery of a baby girl's body on a shoreline in north Wales have said initial indications suggest she may have been in the water for a period of up to several weeks. The update came as officers renewed a direct appeal to the child's mother to come forward, promising that her welfare and safety remain the force's foremost concern.

The body was recovered on Sunday shortly before 17:00 BST after a member of the public came across it on the Menai Strait shoreline close to Siliwen Road in Bangor, Gwynedd. The location, a stretch of coast where the strait's waters meet the city's outskirts, became the focus of an intensive police operation in the days that followed.

In a statement issued on Thursday, North Wales Police confirmed that a post-mortem examination had established the infant was a newborn girl. The force said further specialist tests are being carried out to learn more about the baby, including the circumstances surrounding her death.

Detectives have not yet been able to identify the mother, and the investigation is now centred on tracing her. Officers have stressed that their priority is to ensure she is safe and receives any medical attention or support she may require, rather than to treat her as a suspect.

Supt Llinos Davies, who is leading the appeal, acknowledged that the mother may be frightened about making herself known. She said the force understood that fear but urged the woman to make contact, adding that her welfare and safety were of the utmost concern to investigators.

Davies also appealed to the wider public for help, asking anyone who may have concerns about a girl or woman who they believe could have been pregnant, or whose behaviour has seemed unusual or out of character in recent months, to get in touch. She specifically mentioned signs such as withdrawing from friends, family or social ties as examples of what might prompt concern.

Seeking to remove any barrier to people coming forward, the superintendent said all names passed to police would be handled with the utmost discretion and could be eliminated from the inquiry without delay. The assurance appears designed to encourage friends, neighbours and relatives who may be harbouring suspicions but fear causing trouble for an innocent person.

Davies described the case as a terribly sad incident for the community and thanked local people for the overwhelming support and assistance officers have received so far. The discovery of a newborn's body in a public coastal area has inevitably shaken the surrounding area, and police have been keen to acknowledge that wider impact.

The appeal was echoed by the local health board, whose senior midwifery figure also issued a direct message to the mother. Fiona Giraud, director of midwifery and women's services for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said her priority remained with the woman at the centre of the search.

Giraud said the mother's health, safety and wellbeing were the immediate concern, acknowledging that she may feel she has nowhere to turn or that she cannot speak to anyone about what has happened. She told her not to feel she has to face the situation alone.

The midwifery chief said the full circumstances surrounding the baby's death were not yet known, but stressed that what matters most at this stage is finding the mother, making sure she is safe and ensuring she gets any medical attention and support she needs. She appealed to her personally to take the first step and make contact, emphasising that there are people ready to help.

The involvement of health services alongside the police reflects the dual nature of the investigation, which combines a search for answers about how the baby died with an effort to safeguard a woman who may be in a physically and emotionally vulnerable condition. New mothers who give birth in distressing or concealed circumstances can face serious health risks, including complications from delivery and untreated postnatal conditions.

Officers have continued to search the area around the Menai Strait as part of their inquiries, while forensic work and further testing on the baby proceed. The results of those tests are expected to shed more light on how long the body had been in the water and on other details relevant to the case.

Police have not released any further information about the baby, and no arrests have been reported. The force has instead concentrated its public messaging on reassurance and on encouraging anyone with relevant information to come forward, however minor it may seem.

The case has been logged under the topics of Wales, Bangor and North Wales Police, underlining its significance for the local area. Investigators are understood to be keeping an open mind about the circumstances while they wait for the outcome of the additional examinations.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact North Wales Police. The force has made clear that people who provide names can do so confidentially, and that individuals who are put forward but ruled out will be eliminated from the inquiry quickly, a measure intended to protect the innocent while narrowing the search for the mother.