North Yorkshire police believe they have identified the mother of the baby who was found in a wheelie bin three days ago, according to a statement released today.
The unnamed woman is now receiving 'medical treatment and care' at the hands of professionals, after police inquiries led them to identify her as the mother of the dead baby.
The baby's body was discovered in a communal bin on a housing estate near Richmond, North Yorkshire by a member of the public on Monday, 1 December.
Paramedics rushed to the scene, but the baby girl was pronounced dead. Police have since been combing the area where the body was found, searching for clues to the events leading up to the discovery and to the identity of the mother.
A post-mortem carried out on the body earlier today appears to reveal that the baby stillborn, before she was placed in the bin.
"Preliminary findings suggest that the baby was unfortunately stillborn," the statement said, adding that police enquiries into the full circumstances around the baby's birth and death were still ongoing.
"We thank the local community and the media for their continued support and sensitivity regarding this tragic case," Inspector Mark Dee commented. "We ask residents to remain patient and calm while the police enquiries continue."
The statement added with a request which is ever more common as the role of social media as a source of news - including unfounded rumours - continues to grow: "In particular, please avoid any unhelpful or harmful speculation on social networking sites."