The remains of three newborn babies have been found in a house following a
tip-off to police.
Officers called at a house in Harlow Close, St Helens, where they made the grim
discovery.
It is thought the three children were born as long ago as the mid-1980s, but
died very soon after their birth.
Three people - two women aged 54 and 38 and a 26-year-old man - were questioned
over the discovery before being released pending further inquiries.
Acting on information from a tip-off, officers went into the Sutton Heath house
and quickly found the remains together.
Detectives said yesterday they could not reveal where in the house the tiny
remains were found or what, if anything, they were found in or with.
The remains are now being examined by forensic experts to determine the age and
sex of the babies, and any possible causes of death.
Lyn Murphy and her partner, Jason Hughes, live next door to the property which
was raided on Sunday morning.
Ms Murphy, 44, said: "I saw the undertakers bringing in three little boxes into
the house, which looked like children's coffins.
"When they came out, they had only two boxes which were stacked on top of each
other, and were inside another cardboard box.
"As soon as we saw the coffins, we went inside the house, drew the curtains and
didn't come out again as a sign of respect."
Mr Hughes, 38, said: "When the police first entered the house, I heard a bit of
arguing and raised voices.
"I saw the boxes being taken into the house with my own eyes.
"They were no more than a metre long - one was blue, one was grey and one was
pink. One had a drawing of a teddy bear on it and another one had one of
flowers.
"When the boxes were brought out again, about half an hour later, there were
only two of them and they were stacked on top of each other.
"There were also handfuls of forensic bags being taken out.
"When one of the coppers was asked what was going on, he said: 'All I can say
is be prepared for the worst.'
"There's been a lot of rumours going on.
"The lad who lives in the house has always been very quiet. He's into his
computers and always makes sure his mum's OK.
"He's a forklift driver and keeps himself to himself."
Det Supt Steve Naylor, leading the investigation, said: "Following a call to
us, we attended at an address in St Helens where human remains were discovered.
"The remains are believed to be that of newborn babies and at this stage of the
inquiry it is believed they are the remains of three babies.
"The investigation has only recently commenced and a number of lines of enquiry
are being explored.
"We cannot speculate as to the cause or circumstances of the deaths and any
inappropriate supposition is likely to have a severe impact on the
investigation and the family concerned.
"This looks like being a complex investigation, and a lot of hard work needs to
be done before we can ascertain what the full circumstances are surrounding
this situation."
Three people - two women aged 54 and 38 and a 26-year-old man - were questioned
over the discovery before being released pending further inquiries.
Mark Davies, 28, who lives nearby, said: "The police taped off the house so
no-one could go near it.
"Forensic officers in their white suits were at the house all day, taking
things like boxes in and out of the house.
"A police van was stood outside for two days and two nights.
"We live round here, I've got two young kids, and we just want to know what's
happened, but the police keep telling us they're not at liberty to say."
A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said: "The investigation is at a very early
stage and police are keeping an open mind.
"Until we have forensic results we cannot be certain whether this is as a
result of a tragedy or something more sinister.
"As you can imagine, the remains are in a considerable state of decay, and it
may not be possible to establish an exact cause of death.
"We cannot give out any further information at this time."
Donna, wigan around 2 years, 8 months ago