Woman charged with murder of baby Callum in Warrington 26 years ago

A woman has been charged with the murder of a baby boy found dead in Cheshire more than 26 years ago.

Joanne Sharkey, 54, will appear in court on Tuesday over the death of the infant, whose body was discovered in a bin bag in woodland near the Gulliver’s World theme park in Warrington, in March 1998.

Cheshire Police launched a murder investigation, but no arrests were made until a man and woman were detained in July 2023.

Ms Sharkey, from West Derby in Liverpool, had been on bail since then but was re-arrested and charged on Monday.

The baby was given the name “Callum” after his death as his identity could not be confirmed.

Local people arranged a burial and a funeral service was held at the time.

Det Insp Hannah Friend, from the force’s Major Crime Review Team, described the case as “extremely emotional”.

However she said: “I would ask people not to speculate.

“Criminal proceedings are now active against Joanne Sharkey, and she has the right to a fair trial.

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

The man arrested has since been released without charge and the force said it was not seeking anyone else in connection with the case.