Police in Trinidad and Tobago have launched an investigation after a newborn girl was found abandoned in a cardboard box along a roadway in South Oropouche on Thursday.

According to police, the infant was discovered at approximately 12:15 p.m. by a 23-year-old Spanish national from St Mary’s Village, South Oropouche. The woman was walking along St Mary’s Road, near the South Oropouche Government Primary School, when she noticed a cardboard box at the side of the roadway.

The woman then heard a baby crying and decided to check inside the box. Police said she found a newborn girl inside a black plastic bag. The baby was wrapped in a blanket and still had her umbilical cord attached.

After discovering the infant, the woman immediately took possession of the baby and went to the home of a 47-year-old man from the same area. The two subsequently took the newborn to the Oropouche Police Station at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Police said the infant was later taken to a medical institution, where she received assessment and treatment. Further details about the baby’s condition have not been released.

The discovery has prompted an investigation by Trinidad and Tobago police into the circumstances surrounding the abandonment. Police said the mother of the infant has since been identified as part of the investigation.

Authorities have not provided further details about the identity of the mother or the circumstances that led to the newborn being left at the roadside.

The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago has also been contacted and is assisting police with the matter.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to establish what happened before the newborn was discovered. Police have not indicated whether anyone has been charged in connection with the incident.

The case has drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the discovery, after the infant was found at the side of a public roadway shortly after midday.

Authorities are continuing their inquiries and are expected to establish the full circumstances surrounding the newborn’s abandonment as the investigation progresses.