Stockton's tight-knit community was still reeling a day after the discovery of a newborn baby's body in a local backyard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Residents responded with a mixture of horror at the grisly find and compassion for the baby's mother.
"People are pretty cut up about it. They are still trying to get their heads around how someone could do it. There are a lot of issues behind something like that," Stockton newsagent George Paiva said.
A resident who did not wish to be named said she was concerned for the mother's health.
"I hope she's okay. She must have been pretty desperate to do that," she said.
The weatherboard Church St house remained cordoned off with crime scene tape on Wednesday.
Detectives returned to the house briefly during the morning, while a general duties police vehicle remained stationed outside throughout the day.
A small group of Stockton locals gathered at St Paul's Anglican Church - about 50 metres from where the baby's body was found - on Tuesday night.
"It's absolutely gut-wrenching," Pastor Michael Marklew said.
"The service was organised very quickly. We had about 10 people come along to pray and light candles."
Emergency services were called to the house at about 7am on Tuesday soon after a male resident reportedly found the baby's body in a plastic bag when he walked into the backyard.
READ MORE:
The man, who police have ruled out as having any connection to the investigation, returned to the property briefly on Wednesday but left soon afterwards.
Police are still yet to release details of an autopsy conducted to determine the baby's gender or how it died.
Newcastle Police Commander Detective Superintendent Brett Greentree said on Tuesday that police believed the baby's mother had given birth "very recently".
He said police were following up a number of calls made to Crime Stoppers that had provided potentially useful information.
Despite that police had still not found the baby's mother."We are concerned about her welfare and want to ensure any medical requirements are met, Superintendent Greentree said.
Mr Paiva said locals initially thought a body had been found in the street when police and emergency services arrived in the suburb.
"In a place like this where there is only one way in and one way out something like that is not going to happen without everyone finding out about it pretty quickly."
Anyone with information about the baby or the mother is urged to contact Newcastle detectives or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
