Newborn found in shoebox inside cemetery died due to dehydration after being abandoned by parents
A serious case review published this month has found that authorities could not have done anything to save the life of a four-day-old baby who was found buried in a shoebox.
Referred to as Baby C in the report, Ian Arthur Davies died "within a week of birth" and was not discovered by police until "about six weeks after the death". His parents had concealed his birth, death, and burial in August 2016, Metro reports.
"It is difficult to imagine how much Baby C must have suffered during such a short and tragic life," the review published by the Bolton Safeguarding Children Board reads.
"Baby C was unwanted, neglected and left to die by both parents. Baby C was emaciated and there was a likelihood that death was a result of dehydration after 3 to 4 days of life."
In December 2017, the Manchester Crown Court cleared the child's father Anthony Clark and mother Catherine Davies of murder.
The pair was thrown behind bars for 15 months after they admitted concealing Ian's birth. They reportedly placed the baby's body in a shoebox at Heaton Cemetery, the court heard.
Davies was described at the trial as someone "who is disadvantaged in life and who found it difficult to move forward."
The review subsequently found that "the deliberate concealment of the pregnancy from all agencies and the subsequent death of Baby C could neither have been predicted nor prevented."
"It is therefore only possible for this review to look at potential interventions which would support practice and lessen the likelihood of a similar course of events in the future," it read.
According to the review, concealment of a pregnancy, birth, and burial by a couple is "exceptionally rare", but there is a "well-established connection between concealment of pregnancy and infant mortality."
It also found that no professionals were "actively involved or providing services to the couple during the pregnancy, birth, and burial."
"Therefore, there were no opportunities for practitioners to influence or change the outcome," it added.
However, the "only opportunities" social services had were found to be earlier interactions of the couple with an older sibling, who was apparently adopted.
"For this reason, and in the commitment to learning lessons from the tragic death, the review panel agreed that there was value in reflecting on practice, systems and processes during care proceedings and adoption planning," the document concluded.
Finally, the review added that both parents were found to have had "difficult childhoods and experienced inconsistencies in being parented."