The police in Roodepoort opened a case of concealment of birth following the gruesome discovery of a newborn baby in an open veld beside Proot Street in Witpoortjie on Saturday.

Reports indicate that the baby girl was wrapped in a blanket and had already passed away when she was found.

Police were on scene before Forensic Psychology Services took the baby at around 11:00 and currently there is no sign of her parents.

According to NYPD Armed Protection, they received a tip off about a newborn baby found on a veld in Witpoortjie and upon arrival they discovered the baby was already deceased.

“We received a call from a resident in Proot Street about the newborn body in the field. At the scene we were informed that a homeless male discovered the body of the baby while going through the rubbish in the field.

“We then secured the scene and contacted the Roodepoort police and City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (CoJEMS) also arrived and on declared the baby deceased.

“There were no witnesses who saw the person that left the body there,” said West Suburbs Roodepoort Neighbourhood Watch (WSRNW) PRO Frik van Zyl.

Roodepoort police are appealing to members of the public to come forward with information that will lead to the arrest of the person who abandoned the baby.