![\"Baby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/baby-does-casket-featured-a-rabbit-sticker-on-the-front-and-BXIORMSFVZFVDNNKCCYOHODDOI.jpg\")
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Baby Doe\u2019s casket featured a rabbit sticker on the front and was adorned with flowers from local business Mayflower Studio Florists and ones gifted by Children\u2019s Commissioner Claire Achmad. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
Marlborough Police chaplain John Etheridge, who led the service, said they were there to acknowledge a life, one that hadn\u2019t been lived, but was sacred nonetheless.<\/p>\n
Etheridge said the circumstances they were gathered under were \u201cboth tragic and traumatic\u201d but the best way to move forward was \u201cto do so in community\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud to say that the community of Marlborough has shown their love and respect to Baby Doe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The community had rallied around the funeral, with the funeral services and casket donated by Sowman\u2019s Funerals, the plaque by Artisan Memorials, and flowers donated by Mayflower Studio Florists.<\/p>\n
![\"Marlborough](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/marlborough-mayor-nadine-taylor-lays-a-sprig-of-rosemary-on-5U2K65XCFVH6JLP4NNPHRS66KY.jpg\")
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Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor lays a sprig of rosemary on Baby Doe’s casket. Taylor thanked the community for showing up for the baby in the family’s stead. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
The burial plot was donated by the Marlborough District Council, and Children\u2019s Commissioner Claire Achmad sent flowers.<\/p>\n
The unnamed plaque read: \u201cEvery life that ever forms touches the world in some small way for all eternity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Etheridge thanked those involved with the case, particularly Detective Hannah McCabe and Detective Constable Paul Beckett who had accompanied Baby Doe to his post-mortem in Christchurch.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, this is above and beyond the call of duty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Etheridge later told Local Democracy Reporting that he had met with McCabe and Beckett last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really touched their hearts, witnessing the way that the pathology staff took just such great care and respect for Baby Doe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The service would \u201cprovide closure\u201d for those involved with the case, and hopefully show the mother of the child and her family that the community cared about her too, Etheridge said.<\/p>\n
Ng\u0101ti R\u0101rua representative Barney Thomas said a karakia for Baby Doe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our baby, he belongs to all of us,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor thanked the attendees for coming, and standing in for the wh\u0101nau \u201cwho couldn\u2019t be here\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important that no life goes unnoticed, unrecognised, or unmourned as it ends,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomewhere, there is a mother who is grieving. And as I look around here, I see many mothers and many fathers who would understand and share that grief.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Baby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/baby-does-plaque-was-donated-by-local-business-artisan-memor-EYDDHANJAFHIVGO2TBXFYBGWWY.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Baby Doe’s plaque was donated by local business Artisan Memorials. Etheridge thanked all the people who had donated time and resource towards the service. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
McCabe and Beckett stood next to the coffin, which had a picture of a rabbit on the front, while Beckett read a poem, before lowering the casket to rest.<\/p>\n
Detective Sergeant Jason Hillgrove told LDR the baby was a boy who was \u201cclose to full-term\u201d, but police were waiting on forensic work for further information.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe baby was wrapped up nice and warm [when he was found], and it appears that someone has genuinely cared for the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hillgrove said the police were still looking for the mother, and the case would remain open until she was found, \u201cwhenever that may be\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really would love to find out who she is so we can also put a name to the baby, but also make sure that her welfare, and possibly mental health, is looked after.\u201d<\/p>\n
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The tinkling of wind chimes filled the silence as Baby Doe, the stillborn infant found on the side…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":549352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,16256,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-549351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-marlborough","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/549352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=549351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}