A dog walker who found a dead newborn baby boy in woodland said he hasn't stopped thinking about the 'ice cold' child.
Michael Dorsett made the horrifying discovery in Hythe, near Southampton, on Thursday at around 2pm.
The retired HGV driver found the baby when he was walking his collie cross through the wooded area and saw a 'little bundle' on the ground.
He said: "I thought about the poor child all yesterday afternoon, all last night and then I woke up early this morning thinking about it.
"I haven't stopped thinking about it."
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The 68-year-old, who is helping police with enquiries, also said: "I quite often walk the dog through that area of woods, even though you are probably not supposed to be in there because it's private.
"I saw something wrapped in a towel, lying by the bottom of a tree and I thought somebody had dumped a dead cat or a dead dog and then I saw a little arm or something sticking out.
"I peeled back the towel to have a look and I saw immediately it was a baby so I touched his face gently with the back of my finger and it was ice cold so I knew he had to be dead.
"I walked home straight away, really quickly. I spoke to the police on the phone and they came down and I showed them where the baby was.
"There was only a small bit of his face exposed, I don't know how long he had been there but it can't have been longer than a few hours.
"Initially I was concerned the mother might have left him there and gone off and done something to herself but there was no sign of anybody else around.
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"It was horrible. I didn't look in much detail, I was just hoping the mother was OK really."
Two sniffer dogs and a team of half a dozen police officers with metal poles today examined the woodland in search of clues.
A retired painter and decorator who rents an area of farmland next to the woodland also spoke today about the 'terrible' discovery.
Barry Bevis – who keeps alpacas, chickens, pigs and goats – said police had visited him to get access to his CCTV in the hope it could help the investigation.
Mr Bevis, 76, who has lived in the area for the last 48 years, said: "I saw a load of police cars here yesterday at around 2pm and all these people in white overalls heading into the woods.
"It's just terrible to find a baby here, I wonder what's happened to the poor mother. It has been really shocking for all of us who live here."In my opinion, it must be someone local because that area is not somewhere people normally go."
Mr Bevis, who lives in a bungalow at the top of the farmland, said he had cameras all over his property.
He added: "We have a camera up in the tree that looks out onto the back of our property and onto this little road at the bottom of my land.
"The police are going through that video now just in case she, or whoever it was, walked past our property. If she did so in the daytime then there is a chance they might have found it.
"If you follow the lane at the bottom of my land, you get to a playing field and through there you can get into Hythe town centre so police have taken our footage to see if they can see any people or cars that might be able to help."
Hampshire Police say their priority is finding the mother.
Detective Chief Inspector Ross Toms said: "I have no doubt this will have been a very distressing experience for the mother of this baby.
"Our priority right now is to ensure she receives the care and assistance she requires.
"I want to make a direct appeal to her.
"You may be very frightened right now and it is vitally important that you make contact with us or someone else.
"You may not want to contact the police and I understand that.
"If that is the case, I want to urge you to seek assistance from a healthcare professional or to attend a hospital as soon as possible.
"Our priority is ensuring you receive the right support.
"If anyone has any information that may assist our investigation, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.
"Have you seen anything out of the ordinary or that concerned you in the Shore Road area?
"Maybe you have concerns about someone who has been recently heavily pregnant, that you believe may have been recently heavily pregnant or who has recently given birth?
"I would also like to hear from anyone that has CCTV or dash cam footage from Shore Road or Frost Lane and the surrounding area.
"However insignificant it may seem to you, I would urge you to call us and let us know."
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