Body of newborn girl found at refuse collection centre in Hong Kong public housing estate
Police called to Oi Lai House at Yau Oi Estate in Tuen Mun after body discovered in a plastic bag
The body of a newborn baby girl was found at a rubbish collection centre on the ground floor of a public housing block in Hong Kong on Friday.
Police in Tuen Mun were called to the refuse collection centre at Oi Lai House in Yau Oi Estate after receiving a report from a male scavenger at 5.45pm.
At about 6.30pm, the area was cordoned off as officers investigated.
Yan said the baby’s body, which was about 50cm in length, had begun to decay.
“A preliminary forensic examination conducted on the site estimated that she was born one to two days ago,” Yan said.
The umbilical cord had been removed but the fracture was found to be “jagged”, according to Yan. “We do not rule out the possibility that it was torn apart. No placenta was found,” Yan said.
The body was found in a trolley placed on top of a bin outside the rubbish collection centre. In the trolley, besides the baby’s body in a white plastic bag, there were also yellow clothes, a piece of cloth, and a reusable bag.
“The clothes were yellow and believed to be a primary school uniform,” Yan said.
The rubbish collection centre was last cleaned at 10.00am on Friday morning.
Yan said police were yet to confirm the nationality and identity of the baby. No one has been arrested.
Police appealed to the public for witness accounts and relevant information, “including the identity of the trolley’s owner”, Yan said.
Yan added that people should contact the police if they noticed “remarkable bodyshape changes from fat to slim” on their family members or domestic helpers.
“Mothers who recently gave birth privately should seek medical care from the nearest hospital as soon as possible,” Yan said.
