Northamptonshire Police have arrested a woman in connection with the death of a baby more than four decades ago.
The 57-year-old was taken into custody on suspicion of murder in Northampton on earlier this week before being questioned by detectives.
Her arrest is related to the discovery of the body of a newborn girl in the town in May 1982, it is understood.
The baby was found strangled and wrapped in cloth near the Northampton railway station by a teenager who was taking a short cut home.
The baby girl was buried in Towcester Road Cemetery in November 1982, but did not get a headstone until 2019 after a campaign by a former local vicar, according to the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.
Police launched a major investigation into the baby’s death, but no suspects were prosecuted and the inquiry ultimately closed in 1993.
An inquest into the infant’s death discovered she had been gagged and had a belt wrapped tightly around her neck, according to the Birmingham Evening Mail in 1982.
In 2023, new evidence surfaced following a cold case review by Northamptonshire Police, leading to this week’s arrest.
The suspect was released on bail on Thursday afternoon pending further inquiries.
Detective Chief Inspector Johnny Campbell, from the Major Crime Team of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), said: ‘This has been an extremely complex investigation into events that happened more than four decades ago and a great deal of work has gone in to getting us to this point.
‘Dozens of officers from both Northamptonshire Police and our colleagues in the region have been involved in the operation over the past 48 hours or more and I would like to thank all of them for their work.
‘This inquiry remains live and ongoing and, as such, Northamptonshire Police will be making no further comment at this time.’ (Metro)
