• After the discovery of an abandoned week-old baby girl in Knysna, a 17-year-old girl has been arrested on charges of child abandonment.
• The police managed to track down the young mother hours after finding her baby. 
• The girl is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

A 17-year-old girl has been arrested by the George Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit after she allegedly abandoned her week-old baby in Knysna.

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According to a statement by the police on Tuesday, officers launched a search for the young mother after finding the abandoned baby girl.

Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said after consulting with Knysna Hospital’s maternity ward about recent admissions, the police traced the mother hours later.

“Information obtained took the investigating officer to New Horizon in Plettenberg Bay, where they traced the 17-year-old mother of the child. The mother was arrested on the spot and is currently in detention and being processed.”

The teenager is expected to make her first appearance in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

She faced charges of child neglect and child abandonment, Pojie said.

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