Baby who hadn’t been seen for up to a month found dead beneath blankets in Adelaide motel – as incense burned to mask the smell

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By DAILY MAIL 22:30 12 Oct 2026, updated 22:56 12 Oct 2026

A baby who had reportedly been missing for up to a month has been found dead inside an Adelaide motel room.

Incense was burning in the room to mask the smell upon the horrific discovery on Saturday morning.

Emergency services were called to the Tollgate Motel shortly before 10.30am, where they found a baby aged under one dead inside a room. The child’s body is understood to have been there for up to a month.

The baby’s parents had reportedly been staying at the motel for a month, while residents raised concerns after the infant had not been seen for several weeks.

The couple are not believed to be from South Australia.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Monday that neither the family nor the child were known to authorities, as investigations into the circumstances continued.

‘Whenever a child or infant passes away, it is a tragedy beyond comprehension,’ he said.

‘I’m in a position to be able to advise this family and this child were not known to the South Australian Department of Child Protection but there are still active inquiries underway across other agencies.’

Police with the assistance of Crime Scene Investigators and Eastern District Detectives are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

Boris blasts ‘sickening’ Trump deal with Putin: Ex-PM calls on Royal Navy to intercept Russia’s…

Labour’s new ‘£9bn’ stealth tax raid: Hated freeze on thresholds set to hammer Brits even harder as…

Tiger victim ‘was on all fours, praying and bowing’ to the animal before it mauled him to death at…

Katie Price tells court she confronted ex Kieran Hayler over claims he raped girl, 13, and asked if…

Teenage rider devastated after car crashes into her ‘Olympic’ horse Benny who had to be put down -…

Tiger attack witness reveals victim asked her to take his picture moments before he jumped into the…

Saudi Arabia’s terrified Crown Prince MBS ‘is moving between heavily guarded palaces with bunkers as…

Witnesses screamed at man to ‘play dead’ before he was mauled to death by tiger at Yorkshire zoo -…

Nato chief warns his forces will destroy ‘anything and everything’ if Putin is ‘foolish enough’ to…

Family discover daughter, 15, is alive in her coffin during wake

Harry and Meghan’s new life as ‘private citizens’: Sussexes will make first joint public appearance…

Student carried out a ‘cold-blooded execution’ of university housemate by ‘ambushing him and…

These subliterate fanatics threaten the richest Arab kingdom – and the economic security of all in…

Burnham says Brexit ‘not good enough’ as he vows to cosy up to EU at next month’s summit – as…

Boris Johnson suggests Burnham is LYING about Russian interference in EU referendum – as No10…

Powerful Tropical Storm Rachel batters waterfront properties in California leaving homes crumbling…

Baby who hadn’t been seen for up to a month found deadComments are subject to our House rules and TermsNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}

No one seems to have shared their thoughts on this topic yetLeave a comment so your voice will be heard first.

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{#replies.comments}}{{^isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{#isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{/replies.comments}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{^replies.totalCount}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{/isComment}}The opinions and views expressed in the comments section are solely those of the individual users and do not represent or reflect the opinions, views, or positions of MailOnline. MailOnline does not endorse, support, or verify the accuracy of any user-generated content.Terms|Privacy|FeedbackOldest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}