Southampton: Police say placenta buried in cultural ritual

The discovery of a human placenta on the road that prompted an eight-month police investigation was buried as part of a cultural ritual and likely dug up by a fox, police said.

The placenta was found by members of the public off Dale Road in Southampton on June 21, leading to concerns for the safety of mother and baby.

The force said the family had not seen any media appeals to come forward.

Speaking to the BBC, Inspector Marcus Kennedy said that the mother and child are safe and well, and that there is no criminal element in the case.

He said: “Where the placenta was buried, we suspect that an animal, perhaps a fox, was the one who dug it up and transported it.”

He added that officers were still “learning and understanding” the cultural significance of her burial.

Ch Insp Kennedy explained that after confirming that this discovery was human, investigators spoke to local hospitals to find out who had given birth and which families had kept the placenta.

Teams also examined hours of CCTV and carried out door-to-door inquiries.

“By analyzing the DNA of the placenta, we knew she came from a certain ethnicity, which really helped us try to find the family,” Ch Insp Kennedy said.

The force then narrowed the search to include unregistered births in the area.

The senior officer said that when the force began its investigation, it was about “care, not crime”, adding: “It was all about finding a mother and baby safe and well.”