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Mother of abandoned baby comes forward

A woman believed to be the mother of an 18-month-old girl who was abandoned on a western Sydney doorstep has come forward, police say.

Dressed in a black and white top, grey shorts and wrapped snugly in a light green blanket, the child named Mai showed signs of being well cared for when an Auburn resident found her on his doorstep on Monday night.

The woman, thought to be the mother, came forward to a police station in the Flemington area at 2.15pm on Tuesday and is currently being interviewed.

The resident found the girl after answering his doorbell at about 10pm on Monday night.

A bag with a bottle and baby formula was also left on the doorstep.

Temporary foster carers were looking after her while authorities tried to figure out what language she spoke.

The Auburn resident, who did not want to be identified, couldn’t understand how someone could do that to a child.

“It was random and out of the blue and I didn’t think this could happen in Australia,” he told News Corp Australia.

“If you have a problem there are places you can call and they can help you, rather than just abandoning a child.”

A late-model white sedan was spotted leaving the area.

Auburn police Superintendent Phil Rogerson said Mai appeared well looked after.

Police say it’s unclear why Mai was dropped off at the particular house.

While Mai’s age makes her abandonment unusual, the practice of babies landing on doorsteps is not unheard of.

Last March, Family and Community Services Minister Pru Goward made a public plea for the mother of a newborn baby left at Canterbury Hospital in Sydney’s west to come forward.

It is understood the mother was never found and the baby has been put up for adoption.

 

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