Second newborn found in pit latrine in days

The Esson Castle community in St Ann is in shock following the discovery of a baby girl in a pit toilet.

This incident comes on the heels of last week's report of a baby boy who was found in a pit toilet in Cox Piece, St Mary.

THE WEEKEND STAR learnt that the girl was found on Wednesday night and was transported to the St Ann's Bay Regional Hospital for treatment.

It is not clear who made the discovery, but, according to the commanding officer for St Ann, Senior Superintendent Calvin Small, the police were called at 8 p.m.

Our news team understands that while the fire department was getting the child out of the pit, the mother slipped away.

"During the process of the police trying to retrieve the baby, she (the mother) left the scene so they are in the process of trying to locate her," Small said.

One resident reported that the child's mother said that she went to the bathroom to use it and that was when the baby fell out.

Paul McFarlane, councillor for the Calderwood division in which Esson Castle is located, said that he is surprised and broken-hearted by the incident, and said that residents are puzzled.

"It is just disturbing and appalling for the people who reside in the area. It is heart-wrenching because even community members were saying that they could have taken the child," he said.

McFarlane said that the community is one that "stays together".

"It is a small community. I would say that most people are related, maybe not biologically but how they live, they are like a family. Everybody knows everybody. A lot of our communities are so depressed and when these things happen to them (young people) like early pregnancy, I don't think they have hope," he said.