BISHOP AUCKLAND, COUNTY DURHAM — An inquest into the death of an infant known as Baby Auckland, whose skeletal remains were discovered beneath the floorboards of a Victorian house in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, is scheduled to continue on 18 May. The remains were found in July 2024 by a builder working at a property in the centre of the town.

The skeleton was wrapped in a 10 June 1910 edition of The Umpire newspaper with twine around the neck. A forensic anthropologist was brought in to excavate the remains from under the floorboards so they could be recovered intact, and they were taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for a postmortem examination. The examination assessed the skeleton as that of a full-term baby of about 40 weeks development but did not establish a cause of death.

At the opening of the inquest it was suggested the baby may have been alive at some time between 1726 and 1812. Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland, who led the investigation, said he believed the baby was alive in 1910, based on the date of the newspaper and the age of the property.

Sutherland said it took two or three days to recover the remains from the house. "We used a forensic anthropologist to kind of excavate under the floorboards to make sure that we got as much of baby as possible to be fully intact. And we did. I think the only part we didn't was a tiny little toe bone." he said.

Police received DNA samples from people who came forward and compared them with the baby's DNA, but none were a match, and all lines of inquiry into the baby's identity have been exhausted. "We took some DNA from people and we compared it to the baby and unfortunately it didn't match. So that was a bit of a disheartening moment." Sutherland also said: "It has been quite a long process. It was a really lovely service."

Baby Auckland was buried at Bishop Auckland town cemetery more than a century after his death. The burial service was overseen by celebrant Gemma Dobson. "In giving this child a name, we recognise their place among us. A name given with thought, a name that holds a community, and a promise that a child will be remembered. It is often said that every life, no matter how brief, leaves its mark upon the world and today we are here because that is true." Dobson said.

Janet Atkinson, a retired social worker from High Etherley, attended the funeral as a local resident. "I wanted to attend the funeral today to show my respects and to show him some love, love that he never had in his very short life. I want him to know that he'll always be loved and remembered," she said.