UK UK - 100 year old skeleton of baby doe, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, 29 July 2024

[Luwin]

<modsnip: Copyright violation of more than 10% of an article>

Redirect Notice

 

[DS2021]

Investigators are attempting to track down the living relatives of a baby whose body was found under the floorboards of a flat above a pizza shop.

Contractors made the grim discovery while renovating a pair of flats in Bishop Auckland, County Durham at about 11.15am on July 28. The remains were taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Redirect Notice

Redirect Notice

 

[Luwin]

I messed up title, I've requested a mod to amend for me

 

[Susikatze]

Another article says the remains may only be about 30 years old.
In any case, FGG would be worthwile doing.
But why did they hide it under the floorboards? You would assume it would be easier to just throw it away somewhere. On the other hand I could see a scared young girl or maid who hid her pregnancy from parents or employers do that because there is less of a chance being discovered.
Who lived in the house and especially the room where the baby was found?
I believe the newspaper is a good date estimate and 100 years are correct. When was the floor put in?

 

[dotr]

Police to track down living relatives of baby whose skeleton was found

Contractors made the grim discovery while renovating a pair of flats in Bishop Auckland, County Durham at about 11.15am on July 28. The remains were taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Police community support officers outside the building in Bishop Auckland on July 31
''In order to locate living relatives, Mr Sutherland attempted to create a digital image of what the child looked like. However this was not possible due to the skeleton's lack of developed facial features.

A forensic expert did manage to determine that the child was full-term at 40 weeks when it died by measuring the bones and development of its teeth.

Police officers are now readying themselves to trawl through records spanning the years 1900 and 1920 to find who was living in the house at the time of the baby's death.'

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I messed up title, I've requested a mod to amend for me

Is it correct now?

 

[seasideForest]

<modsnip>

But why did they hide it under the floorboards? You would assume it would be easier to just throw it away somewhere. On the other hand I could see a scared young girl or maid who hid her pregnancy from parents or employers do that because there is less of a chance being discovered.

RSBM
People threw a lot less away 100 years ago and/or they had different disposal methods like in the fireplace, so it might not have seemed that easy just to throw the body away. I agree with you on the possibility of a scared young girl or maid not wanting to be discovered.

otoh hiding even a small corpse under the floorboards would surely give rise to the fear of smell giving the hiding place away? Although that didn't seem to happen here.

Poor baby. Long since in heaven.

 

[katydid23]

Another article says the remains may only be about 30 years old.
In any case, FGG would be worthwile doing.
But why did they hide it under the floorboards? You would assume it would be easier to just throw it away somewhere. On the other hand I could see a scared young girl or maid who hid her pregnancy from parents or employers do that because there is less of a chance being discovered.
Who lived in the house and especially the room where the baby was found?
I believe the newspaper is a good date estimate and 100 years are correct. When was the floor put in?

I would think it might be 30 years as opposed to 100 years---can't believe no one updated the flooring in over 100 years. It makes more sense that it hasn't been done in 30 years. IMO

 

[DoctorRose]

Another article says the remains may only be about 30 years old.
In any case, FGG would be worthwile doing.
But why did they hide it under the floorboards? You would assume it would be easier to just throw it away somewhere. On the other hand I could see a scared young girl or maid who hid her pregnancy from parents or employers do that because there is less of a chance being discovered.
Who lived in the house and especially the room where the baby was found?
I believe the newspaper is a good date estimate and 100 years are correct. When was the floor put in?

You would presumably bury your baby in your house if you wanted the baby to stay close to you. JMO

 

[Luwin]

Is it correct now?

Yes

 

[pokerowan]

I would think it might be 30 years as opposed to 100 years---can't believe no one updated the flooring in over 100 years. It makes more sense that it hasn't been done in 30 years. IMO

Not uncommon in older houses in England, I've definitely lived in places where the floorboards haven't been taken up in more than that! It can be very expensive to replace something structural and old like that purely for cosmetic reasons.

 

[doublestop]

I wonder if they could do DNA testing on the remains?

 

[Bethan]

I would think it might be 30 years as opposed to 100 years---can't believe no one updated the flooring in over 100 years. It makes more sense that it hasn't been done in 30 years. IMO

I live in Northern England, not so far from Bishop Auckland.

I took up my bedroom carpet recently, to find beautiful Georgian floorboards, which had never been taken up since the time they were fitted 180-300 years ago!

 

[katydid23]

You would presumably bury your baby in your house if you wanted the baby to stay close to you. JMO

Yes, maybe it was a baby who died at birth and mom couldn't bare to part with her?

 

[Tortoise]

Yes, maybe it was a baby who died at birth and mom couldn't bare to part with her?

It's a suspicious death, with twine tied around his/her neck.

 

[Laura Avery]

Older and died at birth sounds more like it to me, especially the paper dates. In large parts of the UK we don't pull up perfectly reasonable floorboards as they are often part of the structure and go under wall particans, we tend to cover over them. Some older than say 70s may well have market asbestos tiles in which are safe until you start pulling them or breaking them, and it can be very expensive to have them removed. So again people cover over them. My last house was literally house time forgot, I peeled back over 120 years worth of wallpaper and lino. Fascinating but messy and Hazardous.

 

[Laura Avery]

Oh just read the twine part. Be careful with facts from the Daily mail unfortunately well known for "Embellished facts". It might be the paper was wrapped and then the twine was put on top to hold it in place, but they would like to leave that out usually !

 

[Tortoise]

Oh just read the twine part. Be careful with facts from the Daily mail unfortunately well known for "Embellished facts". It might be the paper was wrapped and then the twine was put on top to hold it in place, but they would like to leave that out usually !

It came from the police.

Twine around neck of baby found in Bishop Auckland house

Twine was found around the neck of a baby whose body may have been under floorboards for more than 100 years, police said.

The skeleton of the full-term child was discovered at a house in Fore Bondgate, Bishop Auckland, last month and Durham Police said its death was likely suspicious.

[...]

 

[EmiliaRT007]

Yes, maybe it was a baby who died at birth and mom couldn't bare to part with her?

After reading that twine was found around the baby’s neck I think they were killed via strangulation. As another user said seems suspicious

 

[seasideForest]

After reading that twine was found around the baby’s neck I think they were killed via strangulation. As another user said seems suspicious

Even Durham police has been quoted as saying 'likely suspicious'. Relatives search in Bishop Auckland baby body investigation

I wonder if they could do DNA testing on the remains?

I don't know, but they are going to do radio-carbon analysis, which will take up to 8 weeks (in same bbc article I linked above). Maybe after radio-carbon analysis, their way forwards will be clearer? I am not a scientist nor am I scientifically-minded.

Oh just read the twine part. Be careful with facts from the Daily mail unfortunately well known for "Embellished facts". It might be the paper was wrapped and then the twine was put on top to hold it in place, but they would like to leave that out usually !

Yes, I'm careful with information from the Daily Fail too - good pictures, but a bit shaky on facts sometimes MOO. But in this case I don't believe that the twine was wrapped around the paper to hold it in place. In a local newspaper they state: "The human remains were found wrapped in a newspaper that has deteriorated... Durham Constabulary said investigators have been able to identify a fragment of the paper...Police said officers identified twine wrapped around the infant’s neck."Baby skeleton found under floorboards believed to be more than 100 years old It really sounds to me like: twine around baby's neck to strangle it (poor little baby, hope strangulation was quick) and then remains wrapped in newspaper, of which only a fragment is or some fragments are left.

MOO