4-Month-Old Baby Found Dead Floating In River A Day After She Went Missing

The body of a missing 4-month-old baby was found floating in a river in KwaZulu-Natal, a coastal South African province.

The child's body was found Saturday morning, local authorities said Monday. According to reports, senior police officers and medical rescue personnel visited a site in the Isithebe area after they were informed about a body floating in a river.

"Sadly, upon the arrival of paramedics, it was discovered the body was that of a four-month-old baby," IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said. "According to reports from the scene, the baby went missing the previous evening during load shedding and despite family and community searching throughout the night, the baby was not found."

"Children walking past the river this (Saturday) morning noticed something floating in the river covered in flies and upon closer inspection noted it was the little girl," Meyrick said, according to IOL.

Authorities then launched an investigation and started scouring the area for any clues that could help understand the circumstances surrounding the death of the baby, ENCA reported.

Police spokesperson Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the child's mother had realized her baby was not with her in bed late Friday night.

"A search ensued and the child was found the following morning floating at a nearby river with no visible injuries. An inquest docket was opened at Nyoni SAPS for investigation," Ngcobo said.

It remains unclear how the child ended up in the river. Authorities have not named any suspects in the case. An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Earlier this month, a 29-year-old woman in San Jose, California, was arrested and charged in connection with the death of one of her 8-month-old twins. Celina Juarez was taken into custody on a homicide charge after the infant died in a local hospital. The police had responded to the 1400 block of Hurlingham Way on Nov. 4 after receiving a distress call. After arriving, the officers administered CPR on one of the infants who was not breathing. The infants were transported to local hospitals. One of the twins died the following day while in intensive care. The twins were under the care of Juarez when the medical emergency occurred.