Police say they have made contact with a woman and baby after some “evidence of childbirth” was discovered in a Mississauga park, and prompted a widespread search by Peel Regional Police on Tuesday.
According to police, officers received a call about a “suspicious” incident at Sugar Maple Woods Park, near Duncairn and Glen Erin drives in Mississauga, at around 3:50 p.m. on Monday.
Const. Iryna Yashnyk told CP24 that a member of the public came across blood, forceps, and other evidence “consistent with childbirth” while walking their dog in the park.
“We had officers check the area and also our canine unit attended and the victim wasn’t located,” she said.
Yashnyk said that police feared the woman and child may be in distress and in need of medical attention.
At approximately 5:20 p.m., officers said the mother, who is 27, came forward to police and indicated both she and the baby were in good health.
The mother told police the child is one year old. She told officers that she deposited items associated with her child’s birth to the park for “holistic purposes.”
Const. Danny Martini told CTV News Toronto that at the time the child was born, the mother’s midwife collected the placenta, umbilical cord and forceps. The items were then frozen.
The mother placed those items in the park on Monday — exactly one year after the child was born — as a way to return the items to nature.
Martini said relatives of the mother saw the story on the news and informed her that she should call police and explainwhat occurred.
Investigators then confirmed the story with the mother’s midwife.