Police are investigating after the body of a newborn infant was found at a Missouri lake Saturday morning.
Maryville Police Chief Mike Stolte told KMBC that investigators believe the infant was born within 12 hours of being found in Mozingo Lake, a 1,006-acre reservoir in a recreational park owned by the city.
Stolte said an employee of Mozingo Lake Recreation Park found the baby while performing routine maintenance in a remote area of the park at around 11 a.m., according to KCTV.
The body was taken to Kansas City for an autopsy, and the report is expected in six to 12 weeks. Stolte did not provide any further information, including whether the infant was found in the water.
“I don’t have any words for it. It’s not something that anyone should have to see,” he said.
Stolte said investigators would like the check on the mother’s well being.
“We really need to find her check her well-being and begin the process of putting this puzzle together,” he said. “We are really hoping that we can get the word out that this prompts somebody to realize that hey so and so she was pregnant and then comes back from a long weekend or wherever they were at this time cause we know nothing about the mother.”
If no one comes forward, he says, investigators will use genetic genealogy.
