The mother of a newborn baby boy found dead in a backyard in Stockton was receiving medical attention in a Sydney hospital, police said on Friday.
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Detectives located the 18-year-old at an address in Penrith following a public appeal for information.
"I can say she has links to both Newcastle and the Penrith area," Newcastle commander Superintendent Brett Greentree said.
"She cooperated with the detectives, we have a version (of what happened) from her which we will test on behalf of the Coroner. It's still very much an active investigation."
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The baby's body was discovered in a blood-covered plastic bag by the resident of a Church Street, Stockton property when he went into the backyard at about 7am on Monday.
Detectives spent two days examining the area and speaking with surrounding residents in the search for clues about the shocking incident.
Investigators have ruled out the involvement of any third party.
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Superintendent Greentree said the pathology investigation was expected to take several weeks to complete.
"It's a very complex matter that is going to be a prolonged inquiry," he said.
"A post-mortem examination commenced yesterday but at this point in time after discussions with the pathologists it's going to be a matter of weeks before we can determine what occurred. We are going to be relying heavily on expert evidence from pathologists and a number of forensic tests which will take a matter of weeks."
Superintendent Greentree thanked the community for assisting police with their inquiries.
"This is not the first time I have sought assistance from the community," he said.
"I really think the community opened up their hearts for this job. We received a number of calls to the detectives office and via CrimeStoppers, which we really appreciate. I want to thank the Hunter community. I also want to thank the work of the Newcastle City detectives in piecing a few things together because this is a complex and challenging matter for anybody."