Police have figured out why a youngster in Southampton discovered a human placenta in a park.
In June of last year, a fifteen-year-old student discovered the placenta in Shirley, Southampton’s Holly Brook Park. This led to an eight-month, expensive hunt for the mother.
Hampshire Police now say ‘certain ethnic practices’ led to the baby’s placenta being left in the park after analysis by a genetic scientist revealed the DNA profile of the mother of the baby was most likely of sub-Saharan heritage, probably West African.
According to officers, placenta burial is associated with customs from West African civilizations.
They also revealed that the investigation took eight months because the family was unaware of the search, despite the intense publicity it generated.
A £5,000 reward was put out in October because investigators thought there could have been a crime involved.
Police say their priority throughout the inquiry was always the welfare of the mother and her baby, but they also needed to be certain that no criminal act had taken place.
A large team of officers, led by Detective Chief Inspector Elizabeth Pirie, pursued endless lines of inquiry.
Armed with DNA analysis of the family’s ethnicity, they reached out to the relevant communities in the city.
Working with the NHS, they also checked records relating to births and deaths over a five- to ten-day period and tried to establish which mothers had taken their placenta home.
Cross-referencing data and employing a process of elimination to focus the search took a significant amount of time.
They eventually narrowed in on a certain family and utilised DNA testing to be sure they had located the correct individuals.
Southampton Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy said: ‘They weren’t aware of the media’s involvement and didn’t see what we had put out.
‘But once they were made aware, they were really happy to engage with us and very pleased for the police support. They are lovely people—a great family.’
Asked why the placenta was buried, he said the reason appeared to be cultural.
‘During the investigation, our priority was always the welfare of the mother and her child. I know how traumatic childbirth can be and how the mother always needs medical support afterwards.’
Chief Inspector Kennedy said he was ‘comfortable’ with the time taken to solve the mystery and the number of officers involved in the inquiry.
It goes without saying that burying human waste in a public park is inappropriate when it comes to placenta disposal.
The cost of investigating the matter would have been considerable, but understandable. However, this should never have happened. You might be able to bury your placenta anywhere you like in the Sahara, but not in our public parks.
The family wouldn’t have considered the placenta human waste, but would have considered it a spiritual part of their child and ritually buried it in what they considered an auspicious place to ensure the good fortune and health of their precious child. For them, digging up the placenta would have been akin to someone digging up the grave of their child and abusing the body.
I understand that it’s their practice, but now they live in our country, and this isn’t our practice. I’m sure they’re a very nice family, though, but are they going to reimburse the taxpayer for money wasted on the investigation?
It’s not actually that disgusting burying a placenta. What do you think people did before birth in hospitals? However, we do have hospitals now – perhaps they should have fried it with some onions and had it for dinner as part of the ritual. Hannibal Lecter, eat your heart out—yummy!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 