A postmortem was conducted last night on the body of a newborn baby boy found in a rubbish skip in Co Limerick yesterday, write Kathryn Hayes & James Fitzgerald.
The discovery was made at White's Skip Hire yard in Killila, near the village of Broadford.
Late last night it was learned that the preliminary results of the post- mortem ruled out foul play. The indications where that the child had not lived after its birth.
A Polish worker noticed the baby's body as he was segregating rubbish that had arrived in a skip from Rathkeale in west Limerick the previous night.
The skip was being unloaded shortly after 9.30am yesterday when the discovery was made.
Sources at the scene said the worker noticed the baby's body fall from a bag as he was sorting through the rubbish.
Derry White, owner of the skip-hire premises, described the incident as "very sad".
He said he had notified the gardaí and local parish priest immediately. The skip is believed to have been hired out to a customer in the Rathkeale area for several days.
As part of their investigation, gardaí will be checking who may have come into contact with the skip during the past few days.
Chief Supt Willie Keane, Limerick division, appealed to the mother of the baby to contact gardaí and assured her she would be dealt with sensitively.
State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy was called to the scene yesterday. A postmortem was carried out last night in the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.
Gardaí confirmed the baby was male and it is understood the infant was lying face down when the discovery was made.
Gardaí at Newcastlewest are leading the investigation. They have appealed to anyone with information to contact them in confidence on (069) 62111.
"The scene was sealed off as soon as gardaí arrived on the scene and a forensic investigation was carried out," a Garda spokeswoman said last night.
"It may be that the child was stillborn or he may have died from natural causes.
"We do not know the facts of the case at this stage.
"We would appeal to the mother or anybody who has any information to come forward.
"The mother may be in need of medical attention, so we would particularly request for her to make herself known to the authorities.
"We can assure her that she will be treated with the utmost compassion and confidentiality," the spokeswoman said.