A newborn baby boy was found dead, wrapped in a white towel and in a patch of woodland, by a horrified dog walker.
Police were today desperately searching for the infant’s mother following the distressing discovery in a coastal market town.
Retired HGV driver Michael Dorsett was walking his collie cross through the wooded area at around 2pm yesterday when he saw a ‘little bundle’ on the ground.
The 66-year-old was then left ‘shocked’ after he wandered over for a closer look and lifted the white towel back, discovering the baby, whose death is being treated as ‘unexplained’.
A blue crime scene tent, pictured, has been set up in the woodland where the baby’s body was found, as police appeal for information from the ‘frightened’ mother
Mr Dorsett touched its cheek to see if the ‘poor child’ was still alive but noticed it was cold.
He believes the infant was placed there ‘deliberately’ as the patch of ground was drier than the rest of the boggy mud.
A blue crime scene tent has been put up at the site and Hampshire Constabulary officers and cars remain there today.
The discovery of the baby – 200 metres from Hythe Sailing Club and 400 metres from a local primary school – comes as the same force is also investigating the death of another newborn which was left on a road in nearby Portsmouth.
Mr Dorsett’s wife, 66-year-old Linda, today revealed how her husband found the boy.
Mrs Dorsett, from Hythe, said: ‘My husband found the wee baby yesterday. It was a real shock for him.
Officers remained in Hythe, near Southampton, pictured, this morning after retired HGV driver Michael Dorsett made the distressing discovery
‘He was just on his way walking down to the sealine with Thena, our collie cross, because she likes to go down to the water.
‘He went through the patch of woodland, which people don’t normally go through because he wanted to get to the sea and he saw a white towel lying on the ground.
‘Thena wasn’t interested in the little bundle at all, she was playing around looking for deer.
‘My husband had been through that way a couple of days before and so when he saw the towel had suddenly appeared he went over to have a closer look.
‘He saw the white towel, he lifted it back and touched the poor child’s face just to see if he was alive or breathing. He said it looked like the baby had been placed there deliberately.’
She added: ‘Someone may have stumbled through and decided that was where was best to leave it. It’s just so sad.
‘I just hope the little baby didn’t die of exposure I don’t like to think of it lying out all night alive and crying for its mother.
Mr Dorsett, 66, who found the body in the woodland, pictured, said ‘it looked like the baby had been placed there deliberately’
‘People don’t really tend to go down through that area, its not a particularly easy place to get to but it takes you down to the foreshore so some people do use it as a cut through.’
The baby was found around 50 metres into the woods from the road and was left close to a level crossing.
The child was discovered hidden away in a patch of woodland which locals say is owned by fuel giant Esso and is within sight of the shoreline.
Across the road from where the body was found is a small area of farmland and a small track popular with dog walkers leading through nearby playing fields and into the centre of Hythe.
Two police cars, one van and two officers were at the scene today. Hampshire Constabulary say their priority is finding the mother.
Police, pictured at the scene in Hampshire, say they are in the early stages of their investigation and a larger than normal presence will be in the area while officers carry out house-to-house enquiries
Detective Chief Inspector Ross Toms said: ‘I have no doubt this will have been a very distressing experience for the mother of this baby.
‘Our priority right now is to ensure she receives the care and assistance she requires.
‘I want to make a direct appeal to her.
‘You may be very frightened right now and it is vitally important that you make contact with us or someone else.
‘You may not want to contact the police and I understand that.
‘If that is the case, I want to urge you to seek assistance from a healthcare professional or to attend a hospital as soon as possible.
‘Our priority is ensuring you receive the right support.
Officers were called at 2.05pm yesterday to a wooded area close to Shore Road (pictured) in Hythe
‘If anyone has any information that may assist our investigation, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.
‘Have you seen anything out of the ordinary or that concerned you in the Shore Road area?
‘Maybe you have concerns about someone who has been recently heavily pregnant, that you believe may have been recently heavily pregnant or who has recently given birth?
‘I would also like to hear from anyone that has CCTV or dash cam footage from Shore Road or Frost Lane and the surrounding area.
‘However insignificant it may seem to you, I would urge you to call us and let us know.’
Anyone with information is urged to call 101, quoting either Operation Verse or the reference 44200084127.
Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.