Touching farewell: 150 strangers turn up to funeral of abandoned baby girl
Almost 150 people have attended the funeral of a stillborn baby girl, who was abandoned by her family and left on a footpath in the UK.
The mourners, all dressed in black, gathered around the tiny white coffin to pay their respects to the infant, standing in for her family who failed to come forward to claim her.
The girl was found in a black bag on a path in the town of Martson, Oxford, in February.
Police named the baby Raihana, meaning heaven’s flower, to reflect her South East Asian heritage.
Detective Inspector Jim Holmes was brought to tears last week during a press conference in a last-ditch effort to find the baby's parents.
"Dealing with any person’s death is a tragic event, but when you’re dealing with a child’s death it’s much more penitent, especially if you’re a father or a mother yourself," Det Insp Holmes said.
Generous members of the public who were unable to attend the funeral have donated more than $3500AUD in Raihana’s name.
Those funds will be donated to stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands.
Top news stories - October 18
