Abandoned baby 'doing well' but parents still unknown

A newborn baby who was abandoned in freezing temperatures in Newham, east London, earlier this year is "doing very well", a court has heard.

Baby Elsa was less than an hour old when she was discovered by a dog walker on 18 January wrapped in a towel inside a bag.

Elsa, who was given the name by hospital staff after the character in the film Frozen, is one of three siblings found abandoned over seven years in the same area.

East London Family Court heard on Tuesday that police officers had been unable to identify their parents.

Elsa was found in a shopping bag at the junction of Greenway and High Street South, with the Met Office confirming that temperatures dropped to as low as minus 4C (25F) on the night she was discovered.

One of her siblings, Roman, was found in similar circumstances in a play area off Roman Road, Newham, in late January 2019.

The other sibling, Harry, was found wrapped in a white blanket in Balaam Street, Plaistow, in September 2017.

Harry and Roman – whose names have now been changed – have since been adopted.

A judge ruled in June that the link between the children, established through DNA testing, could be reported.

Barrister Kate Claxton, representing Newham London Borough Council, told the court there were "no current leads in relation to either of Elsa's parents".

The Met Police has said its investigation was ongoing and that officers believe a woman seen in the area just before Elsa was found may have vital information.

She was wearing a large, dark-coloured coat with a light-coloured scarf or hood around her neck and was carrying a rucksack.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

Judge Carol Atkinson said a further hearing in Baby Elsa's case would be held at a later date.