A grim discovery in Bundung over the weekend led to the arrest of four young women as police sought to identify the mother of a dead newborn found wrapped in a black T-shirt.
According to sources, passersby raised the alarm after spotting the tiny body. Officers from Bundung Police Station rushed to the scene, photographed the area, and transported the baby to Kanifing General Hospital before it was taken to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Police then arranged medical examinations for the four women. Following the examinations, investigators identified one of them as the baby’s mother and placed her under arrest.
Sources alleged that after secretly giving birth, the woman wrapped the baby in a T-shirt and left it at the gate of a neighbouring compound where her mother’s half-sister resides.
In a dramatic twist, the half-sister reportedly believed the bundle contained a dead cat. Using a spade, she allegedly removed it from her gate and placed it at the young woman’s gate. The two families are said to have a strained relationship.
After several hours of questioning, the suspect was granted police bail due to complications related to a postnatal illness.
The investigation, initially handled by the Child Welfare Unit at Bundung Police Station, has since been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is conducting further inquiries as police prepare to submit the case to court.