The moment Sydney dog walker found umbilical cord as search for mum, baby continues
Police have still yet to locate the mother and her newborn baby after the concerning discovery on Monday afternoon.
The dog walker who stumbled across a human placenta and umbilical cord on a Sydney riverbank has described the puzzling moment his pets "acted a bit weirdly" when they found the discarded body parts "down into the mangroves" by the Cooks River on Monday.
Tony Robson and his wife sparked a major police operation when the duo reported the organs left on the riverbanks in Earlwood, in the city's southwest. While police are yet to identify the mother, and when exactly the birth occurred, they say they're certain the organs are human.
Robson, a local, said he was present at the birth of all three of his children. He said he knew exactly what he was looking at when he found the placenta "sitting on top of the mud" during low tide as the couple enjoyed their afternoon walk.
"We let the boys [the dogs] off as it’s a secluded dead-end spot," Robson told 7News. "The boys were off-lead having a bit of a romp around and Barry jumped down into the mangroves and spotted something.
"He was acting a bit weirdly so we looked down and found this ... human placenta with an umbilical cord attached," he said, adding that it was "obvious" what it was. "I couldn’t think what else it could be. It looked about the right size for a human. My wife took a photo of it, and we called the police."
Site of interest ruled out after 'false alarm'
The search for the mother and baby continues with police divers and a blood-detection dog involved in the large-scale search effort yesterday. However an early site of interest has been declared a false alarm.
At 10am on Tuesday, police uncovered what they said was a new site of interest near the riverbank and covered it with a blue tarpaulin as investigators worked to determine what had been buried there.
However police soon discovered it was a freshly buried cat.
In a media conference on Tuesday, Superintendent Christine McDonald implored the mother to come forward as soon as possible, saying there was "no judgement" from police over the circumstances that led to the birthing items being discarded in the "particularly muddy" area.
McDonald said that while evidence indicates the baby was possibly born somewhere along the riverbank, it appears the placenta and umbilical cord were "put there" after the birth.
Search continues on Wednesday
McDonald urged the woman to attend the nearest hospital to receive urgent care for herself and her child. "[It's] certainly is a possibility that the person that has given birth... doesn't want anyone to know," she said.
"There is no judgement. They need to know we are concerned for them. We are wanting to know they are safe. As we know, childbirth presents a number of health concerns which is why we are hoping the mother goes straight to a hospital and speaks to professionals."
Police have appealed for anyone who may have seen a distressed or pregnant woman in the vicinity to contact authorities.
The Cooks River flows from Yagoona in Sydney's outer southwest and runs into Botany Bay at Kyeemagh, 23km away.
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