UPDATE: Police Continue to Search for Mother of 'Baby Hope'

WHEATON, IL — The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to ask for the public’s help as authorities try to identify the mother of a baby whose body was found in a backpack along Plamondon Road in Wheaton.

DuPage County Sheriff Chief Anthony Romenalli made the following statement on Thursday afternoon in regards to the ongoing investigation:

Yesterday the Sheriff’s Office provided an important update related to our ongoing death investigation of a new born baby girl who was found along a private drive in unincorporated Wheaton on Monday August 15th.
Today, we have the highest hope we will learn who this baby is and who she belongs to, which is why we’ve decided to name our newborn, Baby Hope. Hope had no choice in what happened to her and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office continues to use every resource at our disposal to determine what occurred.
If you were traveling along Plamondon Road in Unincorporated Wheaton on Sunday Night August 14th, between 9 and 11 p.m., we would like to hear from you.
We also would like to speak with anyone who may know of an expecting mother who appears to have lost their child or may have simply disappeared herself.
We would also like to take this opportunity to remind the public of the Newborn Infant Protection Act, also known as Safe Haven. This law allows newborn babies to be turned over to personnel at a police station, fire station, or hospital without repercussions. The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is a safe haven location.
Sheriff Zaruba is asking our citizens, religious and community leaders, and support groups to help us help Baby Hope by continuing to share and talk about this case.
Please encourage anyone with information to contact the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office at (630) 407-2400 or text us anonymously at 274637 with the word SHERIFF and your message.

The above information was updated at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 18.

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The below information was updated on Aug. 17.

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to ask for the public’s helps as police search for the mother of a baby who was found dead in a backpack on a private driveway off Plamondon Road near Wheaton Monday.

“We believe no baby deserves to be found in this manner and we are doing everything we can to identify the baby, but we need the public's help,” Dawn Domrose, public information officer for the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, said in a press release Wednesday evening.

Police said the newborn baby was a girl and was full term. She appeared to be white, Hispanic or Asian.

Authorities are asking anyone who knows of a woman who was recently expecting and has lost her baby to contact the sheriff’s office. They are also looking to talk to anyone who may know of a mother who has simply disappeared.

The baby was found with a brown toilet lid cover and brown bath rug, according to the news release. Authorities are asking anyone who may have items similar to these missing from their residence to contact police.

Sources with knowledge of the the investigation told the Daily Herald authorities have few leads and have performed DNA and other tests as they try and identify the baby's mother.

The sheriff’s office issued the following statement Tuesday afternoon:

The Sheriff’s Office is concerned for the health and well-being of the mother. This mother may possibly be in need of medical care and other support. We realize there are unforeseen circumstances that can lead to these types of incidents and at this time care for the mother is paramount.

Preliminary results of an autopsy performed Tuesday shed little light into how the baby may have died and "are pending further investigation," according to the DuPage County Coroner’s Office. The coroner's office was releasing no further details Tuesday afternoon into the infant's cause of death.

The baby’s body, found by landscapers around 3 p.m. Monday in a black backpack, may have been left there Sunday night, reports the Daily Herald. The baby was swollen and blue, according to the Daily Herald report.

The discovery was made in the area of the 25W400 block of Plamondon Drive in unincorporated Milton Township, according to a DuPage County Sheriff's Office press release. The body was found just off a private drive north of the Danada Forest Preserve.

When police first arrived, the infant was showing "no signs of life," according to the news release. The coroner's office was called to the scene.

A cross with the name "Baby Doe" marks where a baby's body was found inside a backpack, yesterday in Wheaton. pic.twitter.com/HoG49HGFxr — Laura Podesta (@LauraPodesta7) August 16, 2016

Anyone with information on the identity of the baby’s mother is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 630-407-2400. The caller is free to remain anonymous and can leave information with the sheriff’s office via voicemail if they don’t want to speak directly to a deputy.

The sheriff’s office is also reminding the public of the Newborn Infant Protection Act, also known as Safe Haven. This law allows newborn babies to be turned over to personnel at a fire station, police station, or hospital without repercussions. The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office is a safe haven location.

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