Three children discovered the body of a new-born baby dumped in a creek outside Suva, according to The Fiji Times.
An article published on May 7, 1997, said the baby girl was still alive when the children found her at around 8.30am behind the Wailada Industrial Subdivision in Lami.
The report said Niko Verekauta, 10, Kini Murimurivalu, 8 and Peni Verekauta, 12, of Lami Village, ran to the nearest house, about 100 metres up a hill, to inform an adult. But when they returned to the baby minutes later, she was dead.
Niko said he thought the baby was a doll but when he touched it, the body was soft.
He said the baby was not crying when they found her but was shivering uncontrollably.
According to Niko, the baby, which still had blood on her, was wrapped in a pair of red trousers and a white shirt.
The placenta was dumped about a half metre away from the body.
The police were notified after Lami villagers yelled across the creek to security guards at the Fiji Gas terminal who called the police.
When The Fiji Times visited the scene the previous morning, the police had just left with the baby’s body.
A police spokesman said the baby was full term (nine months old) and had been dumped soon after birth.
The police questioned villagers in Lami and checked hospitals in an attempt to find the mother of the abandoned child.
He said although it seemed as though the birth had been normal, the mother may need medical attention.
However, the police did not rule out the possibility of laying charges against the woman.
