Century-old baby death mystery challenged detectives

The detective who led the investigation into the death of a baby found beneath floorboards and wrapped in a 1910 newspaper said officers had to "think outside the box" to try and solve the case.

The skeleton of the full-term boy with a twine round his neck was discovered during the renovation of a building on Bishop Auckland's Fore Bondgate in July 2024.

County Durham and Darlington Coroner Crispin Oliver concluded he was most likely garroted shortly after being born in about 1910, with his body then concealed.

Det Ch Insp Mel Sutherland of Durham Police said it was a frustrating but rewarding investigation.

The inquest in Crook had heard the building's owner discovered the body beneath the second-floor living room on 29 July 2024, with police quickly notified.

Sutherland told the hearing detectives had gone to great lengths to try to find out who the baby was, including DNA checks and radio carbon dating, and what had happened to him.

The coroner said the piece of twine wrapped four times around the boy's neck was the "crucial piece of evidence" that led him to conclude it was a homicide.

The fact the building was only constructed in about 1890 and the baby was wrapped in an edition of The Umpire newspaper from Sunday 19 June 1910 suggested the baby was born and killed at about the time the paper was published, Oliver added.

Speaking after the inquest, Sutherland said the "two years of investigating" had been "frustrating at times".

He said detectives did not have the "usual" modern-day evidence, such as CCTV or mobile phone data to work with, which made it a "really interesting case".

"It makes you think outside the box," Sutherland said.

He said hearing the coroner's conclusion and how it was believed Baby Auckland was killed "just brings it home how sad the case is really".

Sutherland said a short life had been ended in a brutal way and the boy was "never given the opportunity to fulfill the life he should have had".

Though the case was "challenging and frustrating at times", it had been "heart-warming and rewarding" to see it concluded, he said.

He also praised the way "people came together" to give Baby Auckland a proper funeral at Bishop Auckland Town Cemetery in April.

The ceremony was organised by the police and Durham County Council, with Durham Register Office and local funeral director Charlotte Fleming providing their services for free.

Murray Memorials will also provide a headstone for free, the inquest heard.

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