Newborn Baby Found Dead on the Banks of the Arlanzón in Burgos

The National Police have launched an investigation in Burgos to determine the causes of the death and abandonment of a newborn baby, whose body was found on the banks of the Arlanzón River near Santa Teresa, close to the Gasset Bridge. Emergency services received a call shortly before 7 p.m. from a passerby who discovered the baby's body by the river. The newborn, still with an umbilical cord and placenta, was found lifeless.

Immediately, both Local and National Police patrols arrived at the scene, awaiting the arrival of forensic experts to remove the body. Simultaneously, they deployed a search operation in the area to gather evidence that could shed light on the incident and identify those responsible for abandoning the baby.

According to the provincial commissioner of the National Police, Jesús Nogales, on Wednesday morning, in a particular moment, "the dogs approached the shore" in a densely vegetated area. The women followed them to see what had caught their attention and discovered the baby. "At first, they thought it might be a doll," but after contacting emergency services, it was confirmed to be a newborn.

At that moment, an investigation was launched, which remains open to clarify the facts. In fact, the commissioner acknowledged that many questions remain, which will begin to be answered once the forensic report is available. "We do not know if it was a violent death, if the baby was stillborn, if it was abandoned, or who placed it there," he explained.

The autopsy will determine "the gestational age" and whether the baby was full-term, as well as the causes of death. The possibilities in this regard are "very broad," as the baby could have been stillborn, died from illness, drowned, or died from violent causes.

Once this aspect is clarified, the officers will begin to seek accountability. And it is no small matter. The legal repercussions of some scenarios are radically different from others. Essentially, "it is not the same if a woman gave birth, the baby was stillborn, she panicked and abandoned it, for example, as opposed to having killed it by leaving it exposed in the river," the commissioner pointed out.

For now, and pending the autopsy results, the National Police are keeping the investigation fully open. Following the search for evidence conducted after the newborn was found lifeless, officers from the Scientific and Judicial Police have returned to the area this morning to search for more evidence and clues.

Among other things, samples of mud and river water have been taken. Indeed, one of the main questions is whether the baby, found completely naked and still attached to the placenta and umbilical cord, was placed there or carried by the river's current. "It may be that it was placed further up the river and the current brought it down, or it may have been placed there directly," Nogales explained.

Simultaneously, he added, the police are searching for clues in other locations, such as hospitals, to cross-reference information about possible recent childbirths.