Mother of abandoned Hastings baby found

The mother of premature baby Aaron who was found in a Hastings sewer in January has been tracked down, police say.

Detectives yesterday interviewed a 15-year-old girl who confirmed she was the baby's mother, Detective Senior Sergeant Sam Aberahama of Hastings CIB said in a statement today.

Results of DNA tests carried out on Aaron identified his biological mother.

Police inquiries indicated she was a visitor to an address in the Cobham Place area of Hastings' Raureka suburb, where a plumber found the baby in a sewer line.

Police believed Aaron was flushed down a toilet and only 12 houses' sewers led to the drain where he was found.

The girl has had a medical examination and been referred for a Family Group conference, Mr Aberahama said.

Child, Youth and Family had been working with police since she was identified.


Police were not looking at charging the girl, but it was an option, Mr Aberahama told NZPA.


"At this point we're getting her examined and finding out what happened and why it happened," he said.Aaron was the second baby found dead in the town this year.

The first, known as Moses, was found three weeks earlier on January 4 in a ditch behind a Christian centre.

Police named both babies from The Bible -- Aaron after the brother of Moses.

They were buried side by side in the Hastings cemetery.

Police were also investigating the death of a six-day-old baby earlier this month after an alleged assault in Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital.

A 29-year-old Napier woman beneficiary charged with murdering the infant has been remanded to a psychiatric facility in Porirua for a report to be completed.

The report will assess her ability to enter a plea to the charge.

- NZPA