Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Baby's body found by young children playing on Australian beach

Police forensics teams close off area to search for clues

Jon Stone
Sunday 30 November 2014 08:55 EST
Comments
South Maroubra Beach in New South Wales where the body was discovered.
South Maroubra Beach in New South Wales where the body was discovered. (Wikimedia Commons)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Children playing on a beach near Sydney, Australia, have found the body of a baby buried under the sand, Australian authorities have said.

The two brothers, aged six and seven years old, found the body whilst digging in sand dunes in the beachside suburb of Maroubra.

Police forensics units are combing the area of the beach and have declared it a crime scene.

The baby’s body was in an advanced state of decomposition and buried 30cm below the surface of the beach, local public broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports.

A spokesperson for New South Wales Police said: “Police from Eastern Beaches Local Area Command were called to the beach and have established a crime scene which will be examined by specialist forensic officers.

“Officers from the police rescue squad are also on scene and investigations into the child’s death are continuing, however, the age and sex of the child are yet to be determined.”

Police said the two boys who had discovered the body were being given counselling, as would some officers involved in the investigation.

The local mayor Ted Seng stressed in a statement that the beach on which the body was found was “more isolated” than others in the area.

"South Maroubra is one of our more isolated beaches, but it is patrolled by Randwick Council Lifeguards and volunteer surf life savers from South Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club," Mr Seng said.

"To say that I'm shocked is an understatement. I cannot imagine the circumstances that lead to this tragic event. Our thoughts and the thoughts of the whole Randwick community are with this little lost soul and the family and loved ones."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in