Police may use DNA to find mother of baby Aaron

Police say they might have to start looking to DNA test women in a bid to find the mother of a stillborn baby they have named Aaron, who was found in a Hastings drain on Monday.

It was just a matter of narrowing down and finally getting to the right woman, Detective Senior Sergeant Sam Aberahama said today.

Mr Aberahama said even though they had a small number of women who may be Aaron's mother, the process to identify her may take a long time.

"We may have to do some [DNA] testing, which could be a period of time before we get any conclusive answers," he told NZPA.

He said police would only start DNA tests once they exhausted their current enquires.

The search has been narrowed down to about 30 women in the Cobham Drive area, where Aaron was found.

Aaron's funeral has been delayed in the hope his family will make themselves known to police.

A post-mortem examination showed Aaron's mother had been about 26 weeks pregnant and the baby, of Maori or Pacific Island descent, was born five days before his body was found.

It is believed his body was flushed down a toilet.

Baby Aaron was the second infant found dead in Hastings in recent weeks.

The body of another newborn, named Moses by police, was found in a grass ditch behind a church three weeks ago. Police are still searching for the mother of Moses.

- NZPA