Overview
- Passersby found a deceased infant at a field path near Beckum at the end of September and police opened a criminal investigation.
- An initial autopsy produced signs that raised concern about possible violent influence and prompted investigators to search for the child’s identity and parentage.
- Officers identified two adults, searched an apartment in Hamm and provisionally detained a 37-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman during the inquiry.
- Authorities say subsequent legal-medical (forensic) examinations did not sustain a criminal suspicion and both detained adults were released.
- Investigators continue to examine scene evidence—including a POCO shopping bag, a red-checked blanket and a labeled sauna towel—and are working to confirm the infant’s identity and the circumstances of death.