Newborn baby found dead in bathroom at music festival as police release details

Warning: This article contains details regarding a deceased newborn baby, which some readers may find distressing.

A newborn baby has been found dead inside a portable bathroom at a major US festival, with police issuing an urgent appeal for witnesses.

The baby is believed to have been found at a well-known Michigan dance music festival on Sunday (June 28), at the Electric Forest Festival.

The event, which takes place from 25 to 28 June at the Double JJ resort this year, welcomes music fans who enjoy a mix of ‘Robin Hood-Sherwood Forest’ and psychedelic dance.

Sadly, the weekend festival saw a tragedy unfold, after a worker discovered the baby during a routine check of the facilities, per the event organizers.

With so little known about the mother, police have since urged the public to come forward with any information they may have about the Sunday portion of the event.

The festival was cut short on Sunday night, hours earlier than expected, after the weather interrupted its plans.

However, once resumed, it went into the early hours of Monday.

The MSP Sixth District police publicly appealed for help with information regarding the case on X, explaining to social media users: “The Michigan State Police continue to investigate the discovery of a deceased neonate found Sunday morning in the camping area at the Electric Forest Festival.”

It added: “Investigators are asking for the public's assistance. If you were in the area and observed anything unusual, or if you have information that you believe may be relevant, we encourage you to come forward.”

The police urged ‘anyone with information’ to contact Michigan State Police at the http://michigan.gov/michtip website, noting that the force appreciates ‘public's cooperation’ but has also asked that people avoids speculating online about what happened to the newborn, 'out of respect for the investigation and those affected’.

As for the event organizers, they too released a statement in light of the horrific find, writing on Instagram: “It causes us so much pain to have to share this difficult news with you.”

It added: “Michigan state police continues to investigate this tragic event, if you can assist in any way.”

Michigan state police said in its initial report that it was the body of a ‘neonate’ which was found ‘in a portable restroom in the camping area at the Electric Forest festival Sunday morning.’

The statement added: “This is an ongoing investigation, and there is no further information to share at this time and there is no known threat to the public.”