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Police will make a public appeal for information today after the body of a newborn baby was discovered in a garden.
Wrapped in a shawl, it was found by a woman near her front doorstep in Tinline Street, Bury, Greater Manchester, at around 11am yesterday.
Emergency services were called but the child, thought to be up to a week old, was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
Detectives are now appealing for information to track down the baby's mother over concerns for her welfare.
Officers have not revealed whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
A cause of death has not yet been established and a post-mortem examination and further tests on the body are being carried out but there were no obvious signs of injury.
One theory police are examining is that the child was stillborn, perhaps to a mother who fell pregnant and could not tell anyone.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said: "An investigation has been launched and inquiries are ongoing."
Police are now carrying out door-to-door inquiries and a tent has been set up while forensic officers examine the spot where the baby was found.
Detective Superintendent Sam Haworth of Greater Manchester Police's major incident team said: "There are obvious health concerns with the mother and we want to make sure she is safe.
"We also need to know why the baby was left there. There are a number of assumptions we could make, but we need to know the truth.
"We are checking CCTV in the area to try and find out who left the baby but I would ask people to think carefully about your friends and family.
"If you know of any women or girls who were pregnant and due to give birth in the last week and had been acting strangely, or if the news of the baby being found dead is seriously affecting someone you know, then please call us."