Scientist overcomes ‘highly challenging’ case

The efforts of scientists from the Forensic Science Service (FSS) have been instrumental in sentencing a mother for concealing the birth of a new-born baby found inside a plastic bag in a river.

Baby Lilly was found on the banks on the River Alne, near Alcester in Warwickshire, on May 11, 2006.

Detectives revealed she had suffered multiple head injuries including a fractured skull and collarbone soon after her birth.

The only evidence that could be utilised was in the bag in which she was found, which also contained towels, clothing and a sanitary towel.

Doctor Tim Clayton, FSS, described the forensic investigation as “technically complex” and “highly challenging”.

“Because of the circumstances of the find, everything was massively waterlogged and in an advanced state of decomposition.”

He said obtaining a DNA profile, both of Lilly and her mother, proved to be a hard task, which took two weeks.

“Decomposition of the body made it very difficult to get a profile,” said Dr Clayton. “With an adult we can use a tooth or bone but it’s not so easy with a baby.”

To overcome this problem, Dr Clayton took samples from a muscle before partial results were pieced together to form a complete DNA profile.

The next job was to obtain the mother’s DNA profile, which Dr Clayton hoped could be identified from towels and other items found in the bag.

Unfortunately, the river had washed away the majority of blood stains and what did remain, said Dr Clayton, had “putrefied”.

He eventually used the sanitary towel, which had harboured and protected blood.

“Mother and child share a DNA profile so eventually we knew we had found the mother’s,” said Dr Clayton.

Despite no matches against the national DNA database, detectives were still able to trace baby Lilly’s mother.

Warwickshire Police spoke to a Miss Davies for “undisclosed reasons” and took a mouth swab, which revealed her to be baby Lilly’s mother. Miss Davies was sentenced to two years probation.