A woman has been charged with the murder of newborn baby ‘Callum’, whose body was discovered in woodland near Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington in 1998.
Joanne Sharkey, 54, from West Derby, Liverpool, was today charged by Cheshire Police after she and another man were arrested in July 2023.
She has been remanded in custody and will appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The man arrested as part of the investigation has since been released without charge.
Officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the death.
The unidentified baby boy’s body was discovered in a black rubbish bag by a dog walker in woodland near the theme park in Warrington, Cheshire, on March 14, 1998. Joanne Sharkey, 54, has been charged with murder.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that ‘Callum’ was strangled and beaten around the head and was only hours old when he died
The coffin containing the body of abandoned baby Callum who was found strangled shortly after his birth lies in the parish church of St Elphin
Baby ‘Callum’ was found strangled near a theme park in the Callands area of Warrington in March 1998.
The unidentified baby boy’s body was discovered in a garbage bag by a dog walker in a forest near the popular Gulliver’s World theme park.
A post-mortem tragically confirmed that baby ‘Callum’ had been strangled and beaten around the head and was just hours old when he died.
When he was found, he reportedly weighed just 3.5kg.
Detective Constable Hannah Friend said: ‘I understand this is a highly emotional case that has attracted a lot of attention over the last twenty-six years, but I would ask people not to speculate.
‘Criminal proceedings are now underway against Joanne Sharkey and she is entitled to a fair trial.’
The parents of the baby, who officers eventually named Callum after the Callands area of the city where he was discovered, were never found and his true identity remains a mystery.
But in July Cheshire Police confirmed that two people, both from Liverpool, had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Four months after his tiny body was discovered, baby Callum was laid to rest in a small white coffin after a moving ceremony at St Elphin’s Church in the city.
Baby Callum’s funeral where more than 150 people – including the city’s mayor – paid their respects
The discovery sparked a massive police investigation in which thousands of people were interviewed and a special hotline number was set up for anyone offering information.
During the police investigation, the DNA of almost 500 women, including many schoolgirls, was tested, but these tests produced no matches.
Thousands more people were interviewed to support the research.
Four months after his body was discovered, Callum was buried in a white coffin after a moving ceremony at St Elphin’s Church in the city.
Locals rallied to raise £888 to pay for a headstone used when he was buried at Warrington Cemetery.
It read: ‘Baby Callum, precious child of God. Laid to rest on July 27, 1998. With love, from the people of Warrington.’
More than 150 people – including the city’s mayor – paid their respects before he was buried in a small grave surrounded by flowers and children’s toys.
Schoolchildren placed handmade cards next to his coffin as Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’ played in the background.
A woman, described as ‘upset and emotional’, called claiming to be the baby’s mother, but she was never traced and her identity remains unknown.
A distressed girl in a beige coat who was spotted in the area at the time was also never found.
Detective Chief Inspector John Hester, who led the investigation, once described the case as ‘one of the most disturbing’ of his career.
He said at the time: ‘He was a small, defenseless baby who didn’t really have a chance of survival.’