PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Trinidad and Tobago police have launched an investigation after a newborn girl was found in a cardboard box at the side of a roadway in South Oropouche on Thursday.

Police said that about 12:15 pm, a 23-year-old Spanish national of St Mary’s Village, South Oropouche, 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 and heard a baby crying.

Upon checking the box, she found the newborn inside a black plastic bag, wrapped in a blanket, with the umbilical cord still attached.

Police said the woman immediately took possession of the infant and went to the home of a 47-year-old man from the same area. They subsequently took the baby to the Oropouche Police Station at about 12:30 pm.

The infant was later taken to a medical institution for assessment and treatment.

Police said the mother of the infant has since been identified and an investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

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