Police detain a 57-year-old woman on suspicion of murdering a baby more than 40 years ago
A woman, aged 57, has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of a newborn baby girl who was found in Northampton in 1982, police have confirmed following fresh evidence
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder over the death of a newborn baby girl who was found in Northampton more than 40 years ago.
The 57-year-old was taken to a location in the county where she was quizzed by detectives over the death of the child in May 1982 after new evidence has come to light, said Northamptonshire Police. The force confirmed it has "arrested a woman in connection with the death of a baby more than 40 years ago".
It said that the woman was arrested on Tuesday over the death that had involved a "major police investigation" when it took place but there was never a prosecution and the inquiry closed in 1993.
The baby is understood to have been found strangled and wrapped in cloth near Northampton railway station. She was buried in Towcester Road Cemetery in November 1982 but did not get a headstone until 2019 after a campaign by a former local vicar and his wife, according to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo. The girl was named only as a ’fallen sparrow’ and was given a headstone 38-years after her death.
"The 57-year-old suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder in Northampton on Tuesday morning (June 11), was taken to a location in the county for questioning by detectives. Her arrest is related to the discovery of a body of a newborn baby girl in the town in May 1982," read a police statement.
"The case was the subject of a major police investigation at the time, but nobody was ever prosecuted and the inquiry closed in 1993. However, new evidence surfaced in 2023 following a cold case review by Northamptonshire Police, leading to this week’s arrest. The suspect was this afternoon (June 13) released on bail pending further inquiries."
Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, from the Major Crime Team of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), said that it was an "extremely complex investigation" which is still going on.
He explained: “This has been an extremely complex investigation into events that happened more than four decades ago and a great deal of work has gone in to getting us to this point. Dozens of officers from both Northamptonshire Police and our colleagues in the region, have been involved in the operation over the past 48 hours or more and I would like to thank all of them for their work. This inquiry remains live and ongoing and, as such, Northamptonshire Police will be making no further comment at this time.”
George Burgon, who was the vicar of St Mary’s Church in Far Cotton for 23 years laid the unknown baby girl to rest at Towcester Road Cemetary and he along with his wife Margaret cared for the grave as well as laying fresh flowers. Then in December 2019 stonemason, Jordan Mills, of AJ Mills in Rothwell, reportedly donated a headstone for the baby.
Margaret reported said at the time: "My husband took the funeral all those years ago and I’ve been coming with him to visit because I felt someone had to reflect love and motherhood. When he buried her he was not able to give her a name so we named her ’fallen sparrow’, known only to God and loved by God. A promise I made to her in 1982 is that she would never be forgotten."
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