The discovery of a dead newborn infant cast a shadow over the Memorial Day weekend for residents near a lake in Missouri.
Knewz.com has learned that the infant was born no more than 12 hours before it was found.
The discovery was made by an employee doing maintenance work at 11 AM on Saturday, May 26, in the Maryville Mozingo Lake Recreation Park outside Kansas City.
The Police responded to the call and were unable to establish a cause of death but noted that their investigation was ongoing.
The baby’s body was taken to Kansas City where an autopsy is to be performed, and according to KCTV 5, the ensuing report could take as long as 12 weeks.
The incident has left locals in a state of confusion.
Maryville resident, Lindsay Eckert told the network “People camp out here, people bring their kids here […] and you know… I love it out here,” when she learned of the discovery two days later.
“It, I think, is shocking to a lot of people because here in Maryville, Missouri, we don’t really… Nothing like this happens here.”
Maryville’s interim Police Chief, Mike Stolte, was unable to divulge the infant’s gender and did not say whether it was found in the lake or on its banks.
The law enforcement officer expressed the hope that if there were individuals with knowledge of anyone who was recently pregnant, they would come forward and share the information.
He said, “We really need to find her, check her well-being, and begin the process of putting this puzzle together.”
“We are really hoping that we can get the word out [and] that this prompts somebody to realize that ‘hey so and so she was pregnant and then comes back from a long weekend… ’ or wherever they were at this time ‘cause we know nothing about the mother.”
Stolte indicated that if no tips materialized, the police department would take the scientific route and use DNA sampling and genealogy–which would be more time-consuming.
“We literally just need to gather all the facts at this time and put them all together so we can bring a resolution to this situation not just for this community but for everybody […] involved [including] the employee that found ‘em [and] the officers that responded,” he said.
He also expressed sympathy for the park’s worker who discovered the body, saying: “I don’t have any words for it. It’s not something that anyone should have to see.”
Concerned citizens along with a local funeral home have since telegraphed their desire to assist where possible.
I will be anxious to hear the story [and] what kind of situation it will turn out to be,” Eckhart said.
Stolte has since indicated that the find could result in prosecution–especially since the State of Missouri allows for unwanted newborns under the age of 45 days to be handed over to hospitals, maternity homes, fire departments, EMTs, and the police, per The Missouri Department of Social Services.
He also noted that the discovery represented no danger to the public.
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Author: Dave Malyon
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