The skeleton of a baby boy whose remains were undiscovered for more than a century has been laid to rest in Bishop Auckland.
The funeral took place earlier today (Monday, April 27) at Town Cemetery for the baby known affectionately as ‘Baby Auckland.’
The remains, confirmed as male by DNA profiling, were found under the floorboards of a Fore Bondgate property by contractors in July 2024 with twine wrapped around its neck.
The baby was found carefully wrapped in a newspaper titled ‘The Umpire’, dating back to June 19, 1910, which provided an early line of enquiry as officers examined historical records.
The baby was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, where a post-mortem examination was carried out; however, a cause of death could not be established.
Durham Police Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland today confirmed that the force believes that the baby was born around 1910.
He admitted that he doesn’t think we will ever truly know what happened to Baby Auckland, adding that police are no longer following any lines of inquiry.
"It'll always remain open as such because, on days like today, it piques people's interest again”, he told The Northern Echo following the funeral.
“People may go, I didn't see that the first time, or say I used to know people that lived there. This story has been passed down generations.
“There's always hope. But as far as an active investigation, there weren't any more reasonable lines of inquiry that we could follow.”
Baby Auckland arrived just before midday to Town Cemetery, arriving in a black car led by a police officer on a motorbike.
His white coffin was carried from the car to a spot in the cemetery reserved for children and other babies who have sadly passed away.
Celebrant Gemma Dobson said deciding Baby Auckland’s name was something that was “given with thought” as “a promise that this 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”, she told mourners.
“Though we do not know the details of their days, we stand here knowing something simple-this child was here, and this child is worthy of love, dignity, and rest.
“Today, Baby Auckland is not alone.
“They are held in the thoughts of those who have cared for them, in the kindness of those who have brought them to this moment, and in the hearts of the people of Bishop Auckland.”
Janet Atkinson, who lives in High Etherley, was one of the only members of public to attend the funeral on Monday afternoon.
The retired social worker said: “I just wanted to come today to show my respects and to show him that he is loved, we do care, and that he will never be forgotten.”
She said she had followed the story since the discovery of the baby in summer 2024: “It was just a massive massive shock to think that something like that had happened in our little town.
“I think it was an absolutely beautiful service and I understand he is going to get a headstone, which will be lovely. It is a beautiful place for him to rest.
"He’ll never be forgotten, he’ll always be remembered by the people of Bishop Auckland.”
‘Every life is worth celebrating’
Since the discovery of the body, police have been carrying out forensic work, including carbon dating, to try and trace back the roots of the child.
They found the baby was a boy and dated back to before 1955, with initial findings suggesting it was full-term and had remained undisturbed for years.
DCI Sutherland said the funeral on Tuesday was an "emotional day” following a “long journey” for the force.
He said: “When the report came in, it took two or three days to actually get the baby out of the building.
“We used a forensic anthropologist, to excavate under the floorboards to make sure that we got as much of the baby as possible, and fully intact, and we did.
“A tiny little toe bone was the only thing we could not recover [from the house]. It was a painstaking couple of days but the right thing to do.
“We did have some members of the public come forward based on the records that we'd shown, and people have done their own research and said they think they might be related to the people that were there at the time.
“We took some DNA from people, and we compared it to the baby, and unfortunately, it didn't match, so that was a disheartening moment.
“With the techniques and the resources we've got available to us, there are no more reasonable lines of inquiry to do at this stage yet.”
Despite not pursuing any actives lines of inquiry, police say they are always happy to investigate should new leads surface.
DCI Sutherland continued: “Every life is worth, is worth celebrating and respecting.
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“When we, as senior investigating officers, investigate a baby’s death, [we know] they've never had a voice. They've never been able to tell their story and the truth.
“It dies with them. It feels like my responsibility to give the baby the voice, and give it an appropriate send off.”
The inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death will continue on May 18 in Crook, County Durham.
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