Placenta find: Mum and baby still sought in Southampton

A path off Dale Road was cordoned off by police following the find on 21 June

Police are still trying to find a mother and newborn baby after a human placenta was found near a hospital.

The discovery was made on a path near the Spire and general hospitals, off Dale Road in Southampton, on 21 June.

Police said a 30-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of concealing the birth of a child on 3 July had been released with no further action.

The force said its "priority remains locating the mother who has recently given birth, and the baby".

The placenta was discovered by two members of the public and reported to police - tests later confirmed it was human.

Midwives at Princess Anne Hospital say they are ready to help support both mum and baby

Ch Insp Marcus Kennedy, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said:: "An arrest was considered necessary and proportionate in order to help us gain vital information to be able to progress our inquiries and ensure the safety, and wellbeing, of the individuals involved.

"We have received a significant amount of information via various methods including DNA testing, eyewitness accounts and reports phoned into us by members of the public.

"Officers are continuously piecing all of this together in order to establish what has happened."

The discovery on 21 June prompted urgent pleas from midwives at Princess Anne Hospital for the new mother to come forward and seek help.