Photo plea to little Sophia’s mother

GARDAÍ yesterday sought a special court order to release video and still pictures of the beautiful baby girl abandoned by her mother in Cork.

Little Sophia, a name given to her by her nurses, was placed in a navy holdall and left on top of a car in the car park of the South Infirmary.

The newborn child was discovered by kitchen porter Matt Shields at 12.45pm on Monday last.

Gardaí yesterday expressed concern for the mother’s postnatal health. The baby, meanwhile, is thriving in the care of the staff at Cork University Hospital.

“The purpose of releasing these photographs is to reunite the mother and her baby. The baby’s mother will be treated with confidentiality, compassion, and understanding,” said Superintendent Richard Duggan.

Gardaí have said they have no intention of prosecuting the mother.

Since the discovery of Sophia, a team of 40 detectives and uniformed gardaí have been involved in efforts to locate the mother. So far, no concrete clue has been found to solve the mystery of her identity. CCTV footage from the hospital’s car park show a woman leaving the area, but her face is covered up to conceal her features.

A hospital spokesperson said the baby was very healthy. “You have a beautiful healthy baby girl and we just want to reunite you,” was the message from the hospital spokesperson to the mother.

The baby was found when Mr Shields returned to his car, to get something he had forgotten. He saw the navy holdall, which he thought belonged to a colleague at the hospital. When he picked it up, something moved inside.

“I opened it thinking it was an animal, but there was a baby inside,” he said. The baby has thick, dark hair. When discovered in the carrier bag, she was unclothed.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact gardaí at Anglesea Street [phone] or any garda station.