Police in the Australian state of Victoria are trying to figure out if the mother of a newborn abandoned overnight on her home’s porch even knew that she was pregnant.
The woman, identified only as a 25-year-old named Irene who was a disability worker, is now in the hospital under police guard. Her male romantic partner called police on August 29 in the wee hours of the morning to report that the baby was on the porch with critical injuries.
As the case is so new, there are few details about the baby and its injuries, but the infant is still alive.
Rescue workers went to an house in Melbourne at 2:40 a.m. and discovered the infant on the porch. Several housemates of Irene told the media that they did not know the woman was pregnant, and there is speculation that she herself may not have known until she gave birth. The housemates said they woke up and found there “was an incident” and then called for rescue aid.
The housemates said they thought Irene gave birth at home the same day. Everyone was cleared out of the house while detectives did a forensic investigation. Cops stayed at the house all day collecting evidence, including noting that there seemed to be a bloodstain on the window sill of the house near where cars are parked.
Detectives also canvassed the neighborhood speaking to residents of an area that has a high number of Kenyan immigrants. Irene was Kenyan, and the people living with her said they had only known her for less than a month. Irene and her housemates apparently met each other at a local event for the Kenyan community.
These unidentified female housemates claim that Irene’s “partner” came back to the house and begged the woman to let him inside. It was this that prompted the housemates to call the police.
The latest news on the baby is that it is no longer in critical condition and is expected to make a full recovery.
