When I was in Scotland last year, a local case on the news was that of a newborn baby girl found dead near the River Alne near Stratford in Warwickshire. I’m not completely sure why this story grabbed my attention. Sadly, stories of premature deaths of infants and toddlers are not rare, but this one struck me. I know my own daughter can be trying - very, very trying - but still, dump her body in a river just boggles the mind [Ed: apparently, she was stillborn.]. The authorities named the baby Lilly.
Back in December, a woman was arrested and subsequently bailed over the matter. Then, on March 7th, 2007, the woman was charged for concealing a birth regarding the baby.
I’m not sure if any justice system can actually bring justice for this. I suspect that the mother’s guilt will be its own justice, regardless of whether or not there’s prison time. And perhaps they’ll find the father and figure out what his role in this has been, if any. There’s nothing really to be done for this tragedy, sadly, but bring some measure of closure to it. But I do hope that this will finally bring some closure to things.
Update: The woman has now appeared in court and has been named / photographed, although I’m a bit hesitant to post all that here. Once someone gets the tag of child killer it doesn’t come off, even if it turns out that they’re innocent, so I’ll leave the naming until after the verdict. This being said, let’s hope the British justice system gets to it!
Update 3/30/07: The woman, Rachael Davies, has pleaded guilty to concealment of a birth, but no murder charges were filed.
Update 4/1/07: Minor editing to this article, as it’s getting linked to and there are some things upon re-reading that don’t convey what I wanted to say.
Update 4/28/07: Sentencing scheduled for June 15th (was June 27th).
Update 8/17/07: After numerous delays, Rachael Davies has been sentenced to two years probation. From the Stratford Observer:
A JUDGE has sentenced the mother of a newborn found dumped in the River Alne to two years’ probation.
Rachel Davies, 26, of Wharrage Road, Alcester, had admitted at a hearing ahead of today’s sentencing at Warwick Crown Court to a charge of concealment of birth.
She said she had no idea she was pregnant until she went into labour one night in the home she shared with her parents. She told the court she gave birth whilst alone in the kitchen and panicked when the child, later named Baby Lilly by police, appeared lifeless.
Davies, who worked at Mothercare in Leamington at the time, put the baby’s body in her car overnight before calling work the next morning to say she was going to be late. She drove to Great Alne where she dumped Lilly in a plastic bag in the River Alne just off Wood Lane, sometime between January and May last year
A 13-year-old boy out walking with his family on May 11 2006 discovered the body along with blood-stained clothes and towels also in the bag.
Lilly had suffered significant injuries including a fractured skull and Warwickshire Police launched a murder inquiry. It was later discontinued when further evidence came to light suggesting the newborn had been stillborn.
More than six months later Davies was traced through Lilly’s father. She initially denied any involvement but DNA proved she was the baby’s mother.
And so, finally, closure to this tragic matter.
I know this woman Rachael Davies the one arrested & being charged with concelment of the birth and i think it is a joke. She should be being done for murder. I worked with the evil creature at mothercare between the dates baby lilly was suspected to be born and at no time did she make it aware se was pregnant or had had a child nor did she seem to be distracted by anything. The thing i find so mind blowing is that she is still working on the shop floor of mothercare in leamington spa, with what the company is supposed to represent they are supporting this evil child killer
[Ed: re-inserted name of the woman arrested, as she has now pled guilty]
I work at mothercare with the mother and its sick that she has not been put on remand or even suspended from work as she is working with children and we all asked her if she was pregnant but she said she was on steriods and gets a bit bloted so she planed the whole thing. The mother doesnt even care about what she has done and goes on like nothing has happened.Mothercare are claiming that we are all getting help and support over it but were not and i am pregnant aswell as 2 others who work their and she trys to be all friendly and its really freaky the way she talks about kids. She is a liar a full on MURDERER and she should be sent to prison for life and never be able to work with children. I dont understand why she is still working with kids when baby lilly had serious head injuries what will happen if she attacted a child at work because she is mental and needs to be imprisoned for the safety of other helpless children that cant protect themselves from people like her.
Hayley it is rae if you still come on here and read this and i agree with you I also am feeling for yourself and the other 2 whom i shall not name as i know are both pregnant still working with you. If you remeber about 2 months after you both started working at mothercare we all suspected she was pregnant and even the area manager Debbie Warner asked her if she was pregnant and denied it plainly that i believe would of been around the end of march begining of april. To your question Erik yes she looked slightly pregnant. The woman is a compulsive lier. how anyone can be around her is beyond me she is a murderer
hi i also worked at the same place, and i left august 2006 to have my second child. I am also very sickened by the fact that she is still working there. When i had my daughter and i took her into see some of my collegues, she was there saying how lovely my daughter was and touching her, and it makes me sick now to think that she did that and the fact that baby lilly looked like my daughter. I think she needs locking up and they should throw away the key. It makes me so mad jhow people can do this to an innocent child and then walk around for nearly a year as if nothing has happened.
hi there my sister worked with this evil cow and i think it is a travisty that she still works at MOTHERCARE, a so called place that represents all that is children and parents. i have met this women and she shows no remorse for what she has done and she needs locking up NOW . I am a mother myself and feel sick to the stomache by what has happened. She is a lying, deceitful bitch….
her sister is manager at stratford branch who looks more like baby lilly than mother. plus the stupid cow c/d (manager) is two faced bitch who was shouting from roof tops bout the death of baby lily. i am a mother of three have lost two pregnancies and have felt physically sick since i found out well also the fact that she is working on the shop floor.this won’t affect mothercare’s name but it should do especially if found guilty coz we are all innocent til proven guilty. all the staff at stratford branch are not doing or saying much regarding this even tho most have kids. all the family are evil evil bastards evil self centred twats
This message is in response to L Sumerfield. I am absolutley disgusted by what the mother that we can’t name has done but by bringing in her sister is totally unfair. If she was shouting from the roof tops when the body of this presious baby was found I think you should stop and think how she is feeling now knowing it is her sister that is to blame. I actually feel for the rest of the family having to deal with this when it is not one of their fault. The creature responsible has put them into this situation not themselves. I have also met the manager of stratford store on a few occassions and from what I saw would not put her in same league as her sister. I actually found her pleasant unlike her sister whom i took a weary approach to from her interview for mothercare where i was overruled to employ her as i advised against her. I hope other people out there that make comments on here leave the rest of her family alone
I do not agree with you R Kieran. Anyone who sympathizes with the family is just as bad as her they are supporting ‘evil cow’ as family should yes, but no-one should feel for them at all. Does she ‘(evil cow)’ live at home? Some friends in her neighbourhood have seen this monster at parents house. In your previous statement you said “how anyone can be around her is beyond me she is a murderer” posted March 27th, 2007 at 10:29 am. So why change your statement to “I think you should stop and think how she is feeling now knowing it is her sister that is to blame. I actually feel for the rest of the family having to deal with this when it is not one of their fault.” They brought her up, they were around at the time, mood swings and all? If anyone can answer it is blood…
I fell it is very unfair to bring the sister of the mother of baby lilly into this at all. For starters I am very close to the family involved, and only found out that she had given birth the day of the arrest. How anyone who doesn’t know all the facts, can judge what has happened. Her sister has not lived at home for over 2 years, and how anyone brings her into this, is beyond me. I was deeply sickened when I found out, as much as anyone else. I have nephews and neices, and to think if someone my sister had done that, I would be so upset. The grandparents have lost a grandchild, and the sister has lost a neice. Justice will provail, and the sentence will given in respect to what has happened. All I want to know is who dumped the baby, that person should be shot.
She admited today that she gave birth then put baby in her car then dumped her on way to work following morning, then carried on to work. that statment to anonymous. I agree with what you say for the family. They are not at fault how they can be around her is a mystery to me and i stand by that fact. In reply to K Coombes my feelings are not changed but how her sister has been brought in to this is just plain wrong other than being born her sister she has no connection to this case and it is unfair to judge her character on her sisters behaviour in any way they are two different people. I am now hoping that the nritish justice system does the right thing and sends her to prison for a very long time.
Thanks for the update… looks like we’ll have some closure on this soon enough. I’ll put the link up on the main post. I’m still a bit unclear why there’s no murder charge… the injuries to the baby aren’t explained by the news article. Was there anything on local news back there?
As for the family… well, it’s not clear to me that they helped cover this up. I’d certainly expect them to (at least initially) back the mother, as I suspect they didn’t want to believe what one of theirs could have done. My guess is they’re all sitting down now trying to figure out what they had done wrong and why this happened. Sometimes guilt is its own justice.
I hadn’t heard the details myself until today, and this has been a very big shock that she disposed of the baby herself. People wandered whether there was a 3rd party involved, but this looks like it is not the case. If she has done this herself, even though I am very close to the family involved, I believe she should be punished for the crime committed. 2 years is a long time in jail, and if she does go down, I hope it teaches her a lesson. Speaking up at the time of birth would have saved alot of people alot of anguish and suffering.
To the people that have bought the rest of the family into this, this is not there fault, and they should not be harrased about it in any way. If they had been involved, then they would have been arrested also. I wish people would get the facts right before judging, but we unfortunatley live in a world where people are guilty until proven innocent, not the other way round. She has been charged with concealment, not murder, therefore she is not a murderer, as it appears the baby was stillborn.
Obviously those that know her have replied nastily as they probably hated her in the first place, or have other issues with Mothercare that they don’t want broadcasting. In either case, lets let the British justice system sort this out, and hopefully the outcome will be for the best for all involved.
[...] looks like the Baby Lilly case is rapidly coming to closure. According to the BBC, Rachael Davies has admitted to being the mother [...]
yes i did know her personally and did not hate her when i worked with her and have no issues with mothercare AT ALL, i hate her now for what she did to that baby, and never reported it, and would never have done if dna did not link her. I do believe the family should be left out of it and it is only natural that they wanna support her, i think we would all do the same if it was one of our own. I just hope she gets the punishment she deserves. It is coming close to a year now since baby lilly was found and i will be putting flowers on her grave as i live close.
R.I.P BABY LILLY
I never hated Rachel Davies i just never trusted her, That i will make clear. And as for having issues with mothercare I just believe they could have handled things differently with the charges she faced I personal believe and so do alot of people i have spoken to that she should of been suspended from work until the situation and court hearings had been done.
I hope justice will be seen and she does go to prison. If she had called an ambulance the minute she realised the baby was supossidley dead then the world would be feeling for her not judging her.
I am also glad now knowing that baby Lilly can rest in peace.
I do not know this person, but live close by and have followed the story, also been a mum to a newborn baby girl last year.
would our opinions be different if this had say been a young teenage mother? someone who either hid her pregnancy or genuine did not know she was pregnant? had given birth in secret to a stillborn baby and panicked and put the body in the river. what would we been feeling then? anger? sympathy? remorse?
i am not condeming what rachel did was right, but after thinking this through imagine this scenario… firstly we dont know rachels personal circumstances? there is obviously no partner involved here, lets say rachel did not know she was pregnant, it happens..we know she was taking steroids and we know that can make bloating, i know other women who look pregnant when taking steroids. secondly we know the baby was stillborn, was there a problem with the baby prenatal? perhaps she didnt move much and this went un noticed. on the day in question she obviously went into labour alone, did she just think she had a severe stomach bug, again some women can give birth quickly and not as painful as others. if she had no idea she was having a baby imagine the panic when this stillborn baby arrived. how was she feeling? she had just had a dead baby alone. (yes i agree with the previous post she could of that stage called an ambulance) but what frame of mind was she in. i can only imagine total despair.
what she did next was how she thought she could hide what had happened, again i know wrong but her mental state of mind concerns me at this stage. we know the baby was found with injuries, but these could of been sustained after rachel left her baby, by the flow of the river. as she has not been charged with murder this is likely to be the case.
how she continued to work that day i will never know but i expect she felt she had to go and act normal to hide what she had done, what was she feeling ?
although this was a 26 year old woman, deep inside on that night and day she was that young scared teenage girl….
I personaly dont feel a prison sentence for rachel is the answer, is she a danger to society and our children really?? she had a stillborn baby totally out of the blue. this lady needs help, support and counsilling. my advice to rachel would be to get out of the close community you live in after all this is over, and if you do not get a prison sentence to start a new life elsewhere away from people that judge you as a murderer..
as far as her employment with mothercare, i do feel mothercare were obviously very supportive by allowing her to continue working there, but do strongly believe they handled this wrong in respect for fellow employees, and it would of been fairer to of suspended her on full pay until the case was completed.
whatever the outcome baby lilly will always be loved by the close community she has been laid to rest in.
If i may - I would like to leave this comment :-
I hope that where ever Baby Lilly is now,
she has Sun shine on her face,
Laughter in her eyes,
and love in her heart.
Rest in peace Lilly - We will never forget you.
Love Always - Someone who Cares. xxxxxxx
I know we all have our opinions on this case, but a the end of the day it is baby lily that we must think about she is the one that never got a chance in this world ( if she was stillborn or not). Even now after reading the whole story of what happened on the night in question i still believe she could of done something, if not straight away soon after, she was only caught because dna linked the baby to racheals boyfriend who had a police file and he led them to racheal, so i think maybe to this day if dna was not a factor i think we would not have found out who lilly’s mother was. I worked with rachel and still believe to this day there was and is no remorse. Well that is my opinon and that is how it will stay.
r.i.p little lilly
I am not going to hide any longer, but I am the partner to her sister. I feel I had to write the 1st 2 ananomous replies (not sure who the 3rd is), but I shouldn’t have to hide as I have had no part in this.
Rachels’s sister and family are very very upset about everything that has gone on. Why she didn’t tell her parents at the time is something only she can answer. I do hope that those that know my partner, leave her alone, and don’t hassle her for any answers during work time, or any other time come to mention it. Mothercare have been very understanding to her through these last few months, and the management need thanking for this.
To L Sumerfield, I think you have been very harsh in what you put, you obviously work very close to c/d, and the alias you go by is not too well hidden for us to know who you are.
t Day and R Kieran, thankyou for saying that the rest of the family should be kept out of this, it is nice to think that others do actually care about how they must be feeling at the moment.
I would like to say that xmas was very hard for the family, remember, it would have been Baby Lilly’s first xmas, she was deeply missed. She will never be forgotten, and will always be in the hearts of all of our family.
Whatever Rachel has done, is done, whatever the verdict, that is what she deserves, no more, no less. Whether anyone believes she should be hung drawn and quartered, is not for us to say, but for the British Justice system to decide.
to the above post i totally agree with everything u have said, her sister has done nothng wrong and should be left alone especially during work time, hope justice will be done. all i can say is how bad it must be to have lost a niece, grandchild without even knowing her.
i will be putting flowers and lighting a candle for baby lilly every year and she will always bein our thoughts.
to rachels sisters partner
i am the anonymous 3rd one, just like to say my thoughts are with you all.
i have given my opinions as to how i think rachel was feeling at the time and have said i dont feel she deserves a custodial sentence.
i totally agree with you that people been a hastle to your partner is totally out of order.
and to be honest the really nasty comments that have also been made in other areas too.
as a close family i can only imagine what you are all going through, and it must be awful.
at the end of the day the familoy took no part in anything that happened and people should just be leaving them alone to try to carry on a normal if that possible life as possible.
Your partner needs to be strong and dont yet these evil people get to her.
good luck and take care.
Anon #1 - My regards to you and the rest of the Davies family. As I said, can’t be easy, and it not at all clear that there was anything to be done at that point. A tragedy all around, sadly. I suspect there won’t be much of a jail sentence, but at this point what will be most needed is to help Rachael come to terms with that she’s done and somehow put her life back together and hopefully redeem herself. I hope you and the rest of her family will be able to give her the support and love that she’ll need to accomplish that.
I would just like to make a point regarding the fact that Miss Davies claims that she didn’t know she was pregnant. Maybe she could explain why she told employees at Sports World that she was pregnant, one who is a close family member of mine?, and she also told my partners cousin at this time, at the time she said this to them it would tie in with when she gave birth to her innocent little girl? I am a mother myself and a mothers instinct if a child is not breathing is to call an ambulance no matter what the consequences, if she had any heart she would have done this but i agree that her other family members are not to blame “if” they did not know?, as i am aware that her sister is known to have told quite a few untruths in her time?! I would also like to mention the fact that mothercare are still employing Miss Davies, isn’t this like employing a convicted paedophile in a school? I’m pretty sure we have laws against that one, what makes her any different? I know my friends and i are deeply shocked at what has happened, many of whom knew Miss Davies as a friend from school and other such acquaintances. I just hope her family can move on from this but never forget baby Lily, i know many that never will.
with reference to the above post… what a shame no one who knew rachel was pregnant didnt put 1+ 1 together and wonder where the baby was ????
i think comparing her to a paedophile is sick!
If it is true that Rachael was telling people that she was pregnant, why were they not called as witnesses (or were they?). Surely the capacity to lie about this may indicate a capacity to lie about still birth or live birth. I sincerely hope that whatever happens she has no more children. How awful to discover the tragic fate or your sister. I find it bizarre that Mothercare kept her on in the company of pregnant employees, insensitive in the extreme and no advert for a family based company.
I would like to reply to anonymous 3 stating that what i said was taken out of context. I am not saying she is a paedophile, what i am saying is that they are not allowed to work around children so why should she be able to with a conviction involving a child? The reason my family member did not put 1 and 1 together was that she left her job soon after and up until that point we didn’t know who Lilys mother was, it was only when she saw Central News that my family member realised who she was, she sat and cried for hours when she realised and in the meantime has built up the courage to go to the police this week after alot of reassurance from family and friends, it is not easy in a case as sensitive as this.
considering people such as r kieren and T day are all saying rip baby lilly it makes me angry at how they are being selfish in their comments and not thinking of how rachels family may feel upon viewing this site and seeing such comments being made. Yes what rachel did was wrong and tragic but surey it is now up to the court and nobody can understand rachles state that day and how she felt. clearly certain people writing on here have aproblem with mothercare itself and cannot see that not everyone in the world is as ‘perfect’ at motherhood. It is a shame a babies life has been lost yet otis also a shame to see commnets being made so people an have a bitch and a gossip. Maybe she was kept on t mother care bcause she was a good worker or ‘innocent till proven guilty’ but some people are to interested in a jucier story to gossip about!!
Anon 4: I wouldn’t call it selfish. When there’s an untimely, and potentially unlawful, death, the first thought is usually that of the person who died. I can’t say that a lot of empathy should be expected on the family of the person who was responsible. Sure, I’m sure they feel bad, and I hope that they do help Rachael redeem herself, but ultimately they haven’t had anything done to them directly.
As for MotherCare - so I certainly would agree that any store has a bit of obligation to take no negative action until a verdict has been rendered. At least in the US, if a company did otherwise they’d just be opening themselves up to nasty lawsuits (for example, if companies fired employees based on arrests, then it’d be easy to get somebody you don’t like fired for no reason. Just accuse them of being a pedophile, and wait for the company to fire them quickly. Then, say you mistook the accused for someone else and walk away. By acting too quickly, the company could be liable for wrongful termination.).
That being said, I’d hope that MotherCare would want to take some proactive steps here given what’s happened. Clearly, a place that is focused on helping mothers should try to avoid employing a woman that can’t identify when she’s pregnant and is so panicked at birth that she doesn’t call for help, and instead delivers a stillborn baby that she promptly disposes of in a river (in a MotherCare bag no less). Maybe a donation to pregnancy awareness education or something would be in order…
BTW… and this is more a random observation… when my wife was pregnant and we walked into the US equivalents of MotherCare, if you were pregnant or looked pregnant, there was immediate chatter about due dates, boy or girl or don’t know, etc. Maybe Rachael was in a state of denial, but you’d figure working there enough people would have started up the conversation that she may have had an inkling. Not to mention when the baby started kicking… but who knows.
anon 4 -: We are not gossiping at all and we are not bitching!! and we do not have a personal issue with mothercare i certainly left on good terms and still in contact with a lot of people there. I think mothercare have kept her on because they can not just get rid of her as she could turn that around on them. I do feel for the famiy and i am sure they had much worse thrown at them then the comments made on here. I also dont believe they would not come onto the internet to read stuff like this, and if they did i am sure they would expect a few harsh words about her. Also i am not (PERFECT) at motherhood, nobody is, children do not come with instrutions.
As you know I am family, and yes we do find some of the comments on here hurtful, especially when what was said on the news and in the gutter press is far from the truth. The truth will out in the coming weeks, and I hope people will then think, shit, I wish I hadn’t have said all that now, and feel for her, but I doubt it, as narrow minded tossers are like leopards, and never change their spots.
After reading the bollocks that came out on nthe news last week, I too turned on her, but have seen and heard things that have made me shrug off what the likes of Midlands Today and The Sun have said. The truth will out!
to the above post i hope the truth will come out cause yes the papers and media can turn things around. I myself will never change my opinion on the way she went about things, and when the truth does finally come out i may feel for her.
I think it was dispicable what she did.
She should be tried for murder. If she’d have sought medical care when her labour pains started that baby may be alive today.
That would be my opinion no matter what the age or circumstances of the mother. Any human with an ounce of compassion, with any morals at all would have sought medical help to save the baby, regardless of the consequences to themself.
I feel sorry for the family being related to that monster.
I am completely disgusted by how she is being branded as a ”monster”, how dare people say this, you dont even know her and you feel that you have the right to call her that!!
I am not saying that what she did was right at all, but what the hell do you all think writing some spitful comments will actually really achieve? apart from people thinking that you have nothing better in your lives to do then judging her.
I must admit that if i was her i would’nt have done what she did, but everyone reacts to certain situations differently and she must have been in such an emotional state that she really didnt know what to do, so please dont turn this into a hate page.
To the people who work(ed) with her at Mothercare, i am really disappointed to see people who she considered to be friends actually bitching and gossiping about her, i totally agree with ‘anon 4′ that we should consider her relatives feelings and her ‘actual’ friends feelings too! she isnt a monster she is a human being.
Im sorry that i had to resort posting this, but this does read like a ‘hate page’ which was’nt needed in the first place, i agree that people should be allowed to say what they feel but please remember that she is and actual person with feelings who is an emotional wreck at the moment.
to anon 5 i worked with her at mothercare yes but i never considered her a friend she was a work collegue, and like i have said before we are not bitching and gossiping we are saying what we feel as a mother my self to 2 children i feel it was wrong what she did, i left work last august and have been in since and never once did she show any remorse. I am sorry if anything i have said has hurt the ‘family’ but we are allowed to express our feelings. And again this is not a BITCH FEST as some people think it is. I feel so strongly about this as my daughter looks like baby lilly did, so it reminds me daily about that poor child.
Yes I left mothercare and not on great terms but they were aimed at the manager not as a person but as a manager I to would not have classed rachel a friend in fact I admit we had our arguments and disagreements but at times we also had a laugh. What has upset me in this is that after Lilly was born even then everyday i worked with her she would ask how my son was and how was he doing. Taking an interest in other peoples children but having dumped her own I am sorry i can’t get my head around this. as for mothercare sacking her I don’t believe they should of but I do believe that for what they stand for until an outcome had been reached she be suspended on full pay. I know from the people i do still speak with from mothercare that they tried to air thier concerncs and were told to block it out and get on with it. No one but rachel seems to have any support from them. as for the family I was right in my suspicions that until her arrest they were unaware of this and as the sisters partner has asked please leave them alone. let them greive in their own circle for the loss of Lilly. I also suspect they are grieving in a way for what she did and trying to get their heads around why. As for her telling people at her previous employment she was pregnant I can believe she has done this. I have one question for rachel and that is why can’t you give the date in which Lilly was born. And I stand by T.day in saying if she had showed remorse then maybe i could feel differently. and as for annon 4 saying that myself and T.day are selfish for saying RIP to this innocent child i am really sorry if our compassion upsets you no I didn’t know baby Lilly but I never knew Holly wells or Jessica chapman either and I hope they RIP also. And as for saying I am a perfect mother I am far from it. As all parents I learn from my child as he learns from me and yes as all parents what is best for my son is what I try to do, but by no means am i perfect. This has not been a bitch fest it has been a site where people can air their feelings. And I am glad it is here as I believe it is better to let them out than keep them in.
I am a father of 3 girls,I think it is aporling that this mother to be did not seek medcail advice or any sort of help.Even if the baby was stillborn she could of taken the baby to the hospital and they could of helped her and this would of prevented all of this happening!…
I do hope that one day justice will be served ! May you rest in peace lilly xxx
When I first heard this awful story on Crimewatch I couldn’t sleep at night. I searched the internet over and over to find further information but to no avail. I am so glad this person has been found. When I was 26 I fell pregnant too. i was completely on my own with no family support or partmer partner. I was very distraught and extremely anxious. When you are 26 you are a grown woman . I cannot see how anyone other than someone with a learning disability could put her own baby in a plastic bag , and carry on as if nothing had happened. IT IS ABSOLUTELY ABHORRENT! There is no other excuse. I don’t care if she was raped or drunk or anything else when she got pregnant. The facts are that she put her dead (or otherwise we will never know) little baby in a bag and threw it into a rin river. And normal people could not do this. I t seems she has tolda lot of lies and unless she was reaally really stupid she must have known she was pregnant.
Don’t involve the family for what on earth has it to do with them - remember what happened to Myra Hindley’s poor sister.
But as I said the facts are there and unless Rachel Davies is mentally retarded she needs to be locked up - the courts can decide for how long.
God bless you little Lilly.
To disturberd mother of 4. Let me assure you that Rachel is not mentally ill or retarded. This matter keeps playing on my mind when Lilly was first found police started a murder hunt and disclosed that the injuries lilly suffered were not caused during birth but before she died if their scientific result showed this then how could lilly have been stillborn, and if this is untrue the police should of made a press release to this effect. If like me this is why you are classing rachel an evil person and this is what is disturbing me the most all the indifferences in the case. I do understand people can be pregnant and not realise but to be in a sane mind to dump the baby then continue to work and behane as normal still baffeles me. The other question is why can the police not release lilly’s birthday or is rachel withholding this information from them. I am unsure of anyone else but to find out that lilly wasn’t by the river for nearly 5 months would be nice, all the press keep giving are dates between jan and may. Anyone else keep getting these questions in their minds.
yes these questions and more keep going through my mind, but hopefully it will all come out at the court case and like someone said the truth will out!!!
I hope so cause as aware as she has pleaded guilty all the next court hearing will hear is exactly the same and then she will be sentenced to her punishment nothing new should come out.
To R Kieran,
I am just concerned as her family member seems to be forgetting the facts and defending her as someone to be pitied???
Like I say nothing and no-one could have made me do what she did.
And if she isn’t stupid then there’s no way she didn’t know she was pregnant so she must have had some sort of plan.
Pity is going in the wrong direction.
Disturbed mum of 4, you must be disturbed to ever think I feel pity for her. If she did it, she should be punished for it, but we have conflicting stories from what has been printed in the press. It is hard for us all, we don’t know what to believe.
We popped to the grave the other day, for the 1st time, and it was the hardest thing we have done so far. To see where she is buried hurts so much, I am crying now typing this. Do not feel for me, as no-one can knows what we are going through, you can judge all you like but it is something that we will never get over.
If on th 27th April, she goes down, then it will be a lesson to her, but it would hurt her family so much if she did, but hey, she did something that is wrong, very very wrong in my eyes.
I cannot comment on what I know, or have heard, as this will all come out on the 27th, but what I will say is, I hope that whatever her punishment, she be left to deal with it, and left alone. If anyone says anything bad anymore about the rest of her family, then I pity you, for being so narrow minded as to believe the shit written in the gutter press.
To L sumerfield who brought my partner of 11 years into this, if you are still reading all this, the I hope you are prowd to bring her into this, because I am not happy about that in the slightest. It has took guts for me to write on here, but as I said before, I have done nothing wrong, my partner has done nothing wrong, the only person who has, will be punished 27th April 2007
That must be rough. Have they put on a last name on Lilly’s grave yet? I assume they haven’t put in birth / death dates, as those haven’t been established (publicly, at least), but I would hope they’d get to the headstone as well at some point.
To Anonamous,
I am really sorry for you. It really must be terrible to be mixed up in all of this and I did say it has nothing to do with the family. I just couldn’t understand when you said that
you had ’seen and heard things’ to change your mind about her and that people may feel sorry for her when the truth comes out. I just cannot imagine what decent reason there could be for putting poor little Lilly in a bag , concealing the whole birth and then denying everything even when Police wanted her to come forward to go to the funeral. Thousands of people are in Jail for much much less. I just don’t think I would be comfortable working next ot that sort of person either.
No-one in their right minds has any quarrel with you or anyone else in the family. How could we if they did not know anything about it?
It’s just that it really has affected a lot of people like myself too. Much to the same extent as when poor little Sarah Payne was abducted and Holly and Jessica. I think we are all afraid that another wicked individual will be left unpunished as our justice system seems to be ridiculously lenient in its present form.
I apologise for upsetting you.
Has anyone else noticed how Lilly’s little face flashes at you like a little angel to remind you, when you refresh the page? Wee dote.
I think that racheal davies should be locked up as she commited a crime that is unforgiveable! I am too young to know wot it is like to have a baby as i am still in high school but my feelings about this case are very stronge.
I think that the family should not be labled in anyway as they are not involed and had no part in it.
R.I.P
Baby lilly you will always be in our hearts
To anon 1 I would just like to say I myself have no problems with yourself or your partner as whom i know. This has got to be so hard for you both and the rest of your partners family and also Rachael’s partners family(if they are still together) My sympathy goes out to all of you and I hope the courage and strength you are showing helps you all through this. I do however believe that rachael deserves a prison sentance for her crime. I cannot understand in anyway what you are all going through and i am honest I hope i never have to (sorry if that seems a harsh thing to say). I urge yourself and your partner to ignore any comments made towards yourselves as I have said before and will again neither of you or the rest of the family are to blame in any way shape or form. I also haven’t read anything the sun has written about the case and am only informed on all that is happening from on here and the news now. I still have the questions i have in my head swirling around all the time the same as those posted on an earlier post. Keep your strength up and remember you are not to blame
I would just like to say, concerning Rachael’s state of mind that in my opinion for her well meaning relative to say that she is/was not mentally ill or retarded is disturbing in itself. I cannot believe that someone classed as sane could contemplate dumping their dead baby in a river and then going to work. It may be hard to admit that a relative has/had this type of problem, but its a kinder diagnosis than saying that they were simply callous and capable of carrying on as if nothing had happened. I perhaps innocently prefer to think of people as ill rather than evil, could it be a form of autism?? Alternatively I’m wrong and she’s bad??
Halo, how can you say that I can’t say she was/is mentally retarded, when you don’t even know her (as far as I know). I have known her for 12 years, so I can say that this girl is not ill, or retarded in any way. The family are the type to keep things to themselves, and have been brought up that way, maybe that’s why she never said anything.
As far as I know, you are retarded, but as I don’t know you from Adam, I can’t actually say that. How people can judge others, without even knowing them is beyond me. To also say earlier that she shouldn’t ever have kids again, how do you know what she was going through when the baby was born. Only she knows that. What she did, is awful, yes, but to say that is not nice. There are many babies stillborn every year, and some just get buried in the garden, and never mentioned to the authorities. What she did by taking it to the river, rather than telling people first, must have been done in a panic.
As I have said before, I do not condone in anyway what happened, but it has, she will be punished by the courts, and whatever has happened, has happened, we can’t turn the clock back, but if we could, don’t you think she would have done things differently. I hope this has been a lesson to her, and if she does have children in the future, then that’s up to her. She is not a paedophile, so why should she be punished in that way.
Anon123, it is nice that you have these feelings, but without knowing her, again how can you say these things. As I don’t know how old you are, I don’t want to be patronising and say you are too young to comment on such things. My neice who is 10, was heartbroken when she heard the original story, so I know how you feel.
Anonymous
I think that you slightly misunderstand me. I am saying that the very act indicates some form of mental disturbance. I do not think that someone who did not have an underlying disorder (however well hidden) could act in this way. Even if she was in denial about the pregnancy and birth, then surely these refusals to accept the truth are indicative in themselves. My comments about not having further children I stand by, not to be vindictive to Rachael but simply because as a child, growing up to find out that your mother had acted in this way towards your sibling would be traumatic to say the least.
to mark
i am still reading with pleasure the thoughts of many on here,
i knew the girls growing up at school, maybe it was wrong to say some things but….
anyone who has lost and gone through the pain of losing your child, will and quote tear you up inside and out. it took me months and months and a day does not go by without me visiting the grave. i was there at my childs funeral and will always visit.
if the bitch showed remorse throughout these months of “agony” why did she not go to the funeral of her own flesh and blood or even visit or why when she held the innocent little girl who was completely defenceless just chuck her in a bag and dump her the next day and never came forward to seek forgiveness. we are all scared of things and don’t know which way to turn being scared is not an excuse for this.
i hope you are happy to condone this heartless, spineless, selfless act.
i feel ashamed to have known such a person.
you cannot say that people do not understand what you are going through or that they should not comment as it is free speech. there are people who are having a worse time than you.
i do hope that people learn there lesson to keep things to themselves and not spread gossip.
for rachael
have a backbone and appologise instead of punishing other people for not excepting your lies, you will come across someone who won’t stand for your lying and bullshit.
L Sumerfield, I am sorry for your loss, truly I am, and I do not in anyway condone her actions, but I have to stick with her family on this. My personal feelings on this, are she should be punished harshly for what she has done. She has done wrong, I can see that, but the fact is, I have to live with this, and so does her sister and family, for the rest of our lives, surely that is punishment enough.
How did you get my name? I am intrigued, how do you know me, and why put my name on the internet. I am not happy at all about this, and would like an answer, or for Erik Selberg to remove it, although it is most likely too late, and most people who know us, know me anyway.
To this day, she still clams up when asked about it. She hasn’t even got the bottle to tell her own parents the full story, or her own sister. All we get is what is told in the papers, and on the news.
I will personally be glad when Friday 27th is over, and all this is over, as it is starting to seriously piss me off.
To Mark (don’t worry I don’t know you, I live in N. Ireland!),
Having to live with this is TOO MUCH punishment for you and the rest of her family. Please don’t torture yourselves and remember that if anyone does say anything to you, that it says more about them than it does you. I can’t believe Rachael hasn’t told her family anything - she really must be a selfish (well we know this already) horrible woman, doesn’t she realise she owes it to you all, after what she is putting you through? Just a little word of warning, in that you really need to be a bit stronger in voicing your opinions of her, as it seems the slightest hint of compassion and you will be tarred with the same brush.
Do you know if Rachael has ever shown any hint of compassion and visited the grave? I think many of us would feel a lot easier if we thought she had and that she had shown some remorse, it’s just such an awful, cold picture that we carry in our heads.
I’ll pray that the rest of you have no trouble.
She does visit the grave, as do her mum and dad. How often I don’t know, but she does.
To L sumerfield
you have named a person on here who had identified himself enough in what he wanted to have named him is completely unacceptable those of us on here airing our opinons and views in my opion accept that he is doing what is right for himself and his partner. You were the one that brought her sister into this and provocked an attack on the family. I agree that what rachel did was unacceptable but that is not the family’s fault. From what i gather from what her sisters partner has been writing they in no way condone what she has done but like any family would do are trying to support her weather they believe her actions were right or wrong. I think it is time you left the rest of the family alone and stop trying to name them all, The only name we need to know is that of Rachael’s and we do
R Kieran
Thankyou for your comments, they are much appreciated
Anonymous
As i get from what you have written on her you are as disgusted and upset by what she has done as a lot of people. There is family commitment that you are all showing her that is how family’s should behave from what i have heard in the news and on here i don’t believe she deserves any sympathy but that is not your fault or the rest of the family’s and I think you are coping with enough already let alone having vendictive people and that is what I think L sumerfield is, a nasty vindictive person draging the family and then naming you as thougth you have done wrong when in fact the only person that has done wrong is Rachael herself.
My heart goes out to the rest of the family as this must be so hard for all of you and i can only imagine what you are all going through.
anonymous
As some one who knows your partner and doesn’t get on with her on a personal level I’ve have to say on stumbling upon this blog my heart goes out to her and i think you obviously love her greatly as you’ve deafened her because at the end of the day she is not responsible for Rachael and they are just sisters not the same person’s.iam only commenting on her because i feel the family have suffered enough and don’t agree or condone in what Rachael has done but i’am not going to pass comment on that.
I live in alcester, and am currently studying law at university, i don not know the woman in question and am in no way biased, i am however shocked to see some of the comments written above, i have studied criminal law and can give a legal opinion rather than a personal one, she should not be on trial for murder as she did not physically kill the child, and no evidence has been presented that she intended to do so, these are the requirements for a murder charge, nothing else, not personal opinions or morals. I believe this is a tragic set of circumstances and that ms davies obviosly has problems, maybe the way she dealt with it was not the most logical or sensible way, but faced with a pregnancy and a dead child you’ve been in denial about i do not know what i would, or anybody else wouldve done put in this position. I don’t think that negatively calling this woman a sick individual is th most proactive thing to do to someone who clearly needs help.
Hi student
Tend to generally agree with what you say. However her family(on this site) have said that she won’t talk about it. This seems worrying, and I personally feel that acknowledging what she has done and discussing this with a psychotherapist or similarly qualified person would be a logical progression. Is there any way that this can be a condition of sentence? Otherwise we have a state of protracted denial which must be stressful for her family if nothing else.
i first heard about this horrific story from my sister and it made me feel sick to the stomach im a mother of two and i dont know how anyone could do such a thing, I do agree with alot of comments on here about leaving the family alone they have done nothing wrong and my heart goes out to them they will never get to meet there neice /granddaughter that chance has been taken away from them . in my eyes this women is quilty . and it must be hard for the people who worked closely to her. that poor girl never had a chance at life it was taken away from here so quickly I hope one day the family can get some peace from all this and baby liily can finally rest in peace she will be in all our hearts and will never be forgotten . To the family of racheal davies i cant understand what pain ur going through because really u have lost two people in all this, but she has to be punished for what she has done .
somepeople dont realise they are pregnant, some people get scared when they realise they are giving birth, some people get scared when they realise their baby is still born….. but how many people put their precious baby daughter in a carrier bag, tie it up and just dump it in a river on way to work???
Its just not a normal human being act!
Its a sick monstrous act!!
God bless you lily xxx
a year has passed and still i think about poor lilly, i will be visiting the grave today and putting some flowers on there (i hope this is ok with the family) This must be a hard time for you and my heart goes out to you.
thinking of you always little one xxx
Today is a sad day for alot of people most of all for the family of poor baby lilly she is still in all are hearts and thoughts, like i sad befor she will never be forgotten . I was talkng about baby lilly today with my sister n law and it made tears come to my eyes . i Hope soon the family can have some peace.
YOUR STILL IN ALL ARE HEARTS XXX
I do not know her but my family do know her and even if i am only 13 i still have feelings for this case.
I still belive that she should be locked up she should be convicted for murder as she MURDERED lilly.
i feel sorry for the family but i do not feel any emotions for racheal davis at all.
BABY LILLY YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN XXX
i am apporled to hear what rachel has done. lilly you will be forever in our hearts. you are safe from mankind. we love you. xx xx
hi.
i heard about this terrible accident and i feel horrible for the family but not for racheal davis she sould be locked up and the key through away!!!!
i would neverdo that to a child let alone my own daughter!!!
R.I.P baby lilly
xxx
Hi,
i heard about this and i thought how could anyone kill thier own child. i think that it is heartless and cold blooded
X-XKNIGHTX-X
R.I.P
BABY LILY
How can she sent down for giving birth to a stilborn baby?
She has mental issues, that is all, and I very much doubt sending her to prison will sort it out. Wait and see!
how do we know that the baby was still born, at the end off the day she put her own baby in her boot then left her by the side of a river were is the logic in that , no mother would ever do that to there child . i dont know if she has mental issues and nore do u but for baby lillys sake she needs to be punsihed for this horrible crime lilly needs her jutice even though she is no longer with usxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So, what probably will happem is she will have a psychiatric evaluation, probably see a probation officer, both will determine whether she is a risk to the public, and come to a conclusion. If she is not a risk to the public, she will not go down. Simple
u need to read all the comments that people have left on here most of them say she is guilty and needs to be punished . and even she has said she is guilty so many people have these evaluations to see if they r suffering with mental problems u ask the people she worked with and the people around her she acted like nothing had happened and got on with her life that says to me and alot of other people she is a guilty person we will wait ans see i dont think she is a risk to the puplic but that doenst mean she should be be punished . simple as that .
She will be punished how ever the courts decide, and unfortunatley we have no say and can not change whatever they decide. She should be punished for the crime she committed concealing a birth , i myself have had mental health problems but would never DUMP my baby stillborn or not.
It is good that the UK judicial system is not like that in the olden days. If it was, she would have been linched, and burnt at the stake. People would have thought she was a witch. Maybe she is in some respects, but surely having people treat you like shit, have reporters waiting for you, and people making stupid comments on an american’s website like this is enough. No disrespect to Dr Selberg, he has all the right to delete this, but he is the one putting this on the internet, okay freedom of speech and all that, but I still think it is wrong. Yes it is me, Mark that is writing this, but she is being punished enough, a prison sentence is probably not likely, and as the facts go, Lily was stillborn, what actually happened after that is still speculation. The only one who knows exactly what happened is Rachel. I will be glad also when it is all over.
Everyone has there own thoughts on what should happen to her, I thought she should be shot, but time has gone on, and I have seen what she has had to put up with from people who work with her, reporters, and even her own family. I now realise that is more punishment than a prison sentence would ever bring.
I tend to agree with Mark that the reactions of your nearest and dearest are probably the harshest form of punishment. I also think that guilt and remorse are pretty harsh judges as well, and we’ve no way of knowing if Rachel feels these, but I sincerely hope she does. I don’t know what good prison would be (they’re full anyway and as has been said she’s not a threat to public safety). As I’ve said before I really don’t think she’s balanced enough to consider having more children but I hope our often woeful social services are waiting in the wings if she does.
Just pondering this sad case, I feel that on reflection myself and many others judged Rachel very severely because this case was initially presented on crimewatch as a murder investigation. If I stand back and look at this objectively I realise that there is a large element of irrationality here. Rachel did something very disturbing but she did not kill. Every week it seems someone appears in the news for killing a child; they do not receive blogs as emotive and impassioned as this. Why? People who kill children are the real criminals and dangers to society. Rachel showed a lack of emotion but she did not harm, you cannot harm a stillborn baby. Lily was beyond harm whatever Rachel did with her mortal remains.Yes she commited the crime of concealing a birth, but i feel in retrospect that people should save their venon for those who truly deserve it. I hold up my hands and admit to being one of those caught up in a frenzied desire for justice but I now realise this was wrong. On reflection I also feel that one of the truly sad elements this is on discovering she had delivered a dead baby she could not initially seek help and comfort from her sleeping parents.
Annon have just read your last input on this. I think if rachel had shown remorse of any sort to the people that work with her things may be different for her there. If you personally knew the girls you would realise they are mostly lovely people and 90% are mothers themselves and like alot of people can’t understand how she carried on having a normal life until she was found out as being lilly’s mum. 2 of the girls there are also pregnant and being around her must be real tough on them. I agree with halo that this case touched so many people and was originally a murder enquiry, I know we are not entitled to the answers but everyone just wants to know the truth behind it all know once that is out then maybe people will change their opinon on rachel or maybe not I can’t answer that as I still believe she deserves to go to prison with the information i have been given.
I originally put up the post mostly as a random note to random readers of my blog that a horrible act was finally coming to closure. Posting for me was cathartic, a way to tell the world that an appalling act had not gone unnoticed. I never actually expected anyone to comment, let alone people who actually were involved with the case. That too has been wildly unexpected… suddenly, a number of the people who are involved can talk and make their points known, and with time the discussion can, and has, turned very reasonable. I think this is a good thing.
I suspect Rachel has probably seen this post or at least knows about it and will succumb to curiousity at some point. A number of the comments are essentially a public tongue-lashing. Well, deserved or not, it’s the least of her issues I imagine. But frankly, my post wasn’t about her — it was about her daughter, and a placeholder, albeit virtual, that even though she never may have had a life outside the womb what life she did have is remembered.
Per the BBC sentencing delayed until next month sometime.
hi I knew of Miss Davis she was my ex partners girlfriend the mother of his daughter Lily. The daughter he never got to see the sister my children never got to play with. So your question answered. she has ruined his life along with her own and her family. If lily was still born there would have been nothing she could of done. But just to dump her like she did alone with no one is that of a sick mind. People can carry on with there witch hunt but remember that your comments are seen and can be very up setting for lilys family. We plan to take the children to the grave where lily rests when their older to understand. Baby Lily looked like her Daddy and big brother and was loved very much and will always be in our hearts.
[...] I’m not sure why this case just stuck in my head for the past two years, but it did. There’s a fair bit of discussion on my original post from about a year ago. [...]
I am glad its now over and the family can get on with there lives and remember lilly as they should be able to. I am not related in anyway i just worked with rachel but i will visit the grave every year to pay my respects to her. I hope rachel gets the help she needs, noone knows what happened that night execpt rachel and i hope it can now be put to bed and everyone leave the family alone.
R.i.p baby lillyxxx
I am a close friend of rachels and most of you dont have a clue what your on about how dare you say some of that bull shit you want to get your facts straight b4 you spred this rubbish. You cant judge what you dont know i would like to thank some of you 4 your support towards rachel. Yes we all know what she did was wrong and now SHE does but she cant change what has happend she is being punished enough and no matter what she does is not going to change was has happend. And as for rachels family being slaged of how dare you they cant help what she has done put your self in there shoes how would you like it. I work in the medical profession in emergency medicine and i can assure you lilly was not murdered if a baby is still born thr brain is blue and hers was so you cany call rachel a murderer. She now wants to move on with her life and so does her family so i surgest you all let her we cant change the past but we can make our future and once again to the nice messages thanks for your support xxxx
ive done a night shift im tired sorry for the mistake her brain was NOT blue sorry x
Peoples reactions can be often cruel as they dont understand. Alot of people have said how did she not know she was pregnant, it has happend to two people i know so it does happen. One girl i know already had two children and showed with both, but with her last she had no signs. Took her two children to school in the the morning and gave bith on her own in her bedroom by the afternoon. She passed the the tummy pains off as peorid pains. She still had her peorids but she does say now thinking back that they became alittle irregular. I watched the case on miss Davis closely and i do beleive that she did not know. I did ask the question of why she didnt call someone when the pains started. She must have been in shock and just went into over drive. I had spoken to Neil and he said when they broke up he was nasty to her and told her to stay away from him. she must of felt so alone with know one to confide in. People have said that she must be evil and mad. But from what i knew of her was a nice polite girl she would often pick Charlie and Georgia up and take them out some times on her own when Neil couldnt be botherd. The children used to love spending time with her. I just hope that she will be able to move on from this. and be able to rebuild her life. Its good to know that she has friends to fight her corner as people can be very cruel. But aslo remember that its just that people dont understand. Take care Racheal. x reading a commet i had made saying she must have been of sick mind. I didnt that in a bad mannor i ment it as she was not well mentally. didnt mean to affend .