News / News Wire
Baby’s body found in Avon Gorge
A baby’s body has been found in the Avon Gorge, close to where the body of missing mum Charlotte Bevan was also discovered on Wednesday night.
Although formal identification has not yet taken place, police say they are “confident” this is the body of five-day-old Zaani Tiana Bevan Malbrouck.
The body of Zaani’s mother Charlotte Bevan was formally identified earlier today having been found at the same site.
Charlotte went missing from the maternity unit of St Michael’s Hospital with her baby on Tuesday evening.
Despite a big police hunt overnight and throughout Wednesday, there was no sign of the 30-year-old.
She did not have any shoes on and was thought to be wearing hospital slippers when she left with her baby into the freezing winter night. She also did not have a coat and Zaani was only wrapped in blankets.
The mother’s body was found after a member of the public, walking nearby, spotted the hospital slippers on the gorge.
Police described Ms Bevan as a “good mother” who was making “great progress” in hospital.
A spokesman for University Hospitals Bristol, which runs St Michael’s Hospital, said Ms Bevan discharged herself for “reasons unknown” and there had been no signs she was planning to leave.
“Charlotte and her baby were seen by staff at 20:30. When staff went to check on her at 21:05 they found Charlotte and her baby missing and immediately sounded the alarm,” he said.
“We will be conducting a thorough review of the care Charlotte and her baby received to see if there was anything we could have done to prevent this tragic and unexplained death.”
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