Chapter 1: What happened when a newborn baby was found abandoned in Suffolk?
Tortoise Investigates. The six pound, three and a half ounce baby is doing well in hospital after being dumped in an orange and white plastic bag around mid-morning yesterday. Imagine growing up with no idea about where you were born or who gave birth to you. The opening scenes of your life are a complete blank. All you know is that as a newborn baby, you were abandoned. You are a foundling.
I was found on the side of a road in a village in Suffolk. I was wearing a vest and a nappy. This is how Jess's life begins in 1987. For decades, Jess has been looking for answers.
Chapter 2: How does Jess's search for her identity unfold over the years?
No one's going to put their DNA out there. No one will want to be found. Then DNA gave her names. And out there are people who hoped they'd never be found. We all sat there and was like, what has just happened? I'm Lucy Greenwell, and Jess's story has gripped me since I was a child, because I remember the day the baby was found.
It was my friend's nanny who discovered Jess, who wrapped her in a jumper and handed her to the police. When you saw the baby, what did it look like? Very happy. It was gurgling, smiling.
Chapter 3: What emotional impact does being abandoned have on Jess?
But right from the start, there were questions and rumours. We were like, why did you stop? What made you stop to look what it was? Because she said it was in a plastic bag. The mystery of that baby has never been solved. And I've always wondered, what does it do to you to know that you were left?
You've got this little seed in your brain right from when you were born that you're not loved and you're not wanted. And why would anyone do that? Lay their baby down and just walk away? They spoke of terror, of them paralysed, of that fear just taking over.
Chapter 4: How do Jess's discoveries complicate her understanding of her past?
As Jess's search takes her closer to the truth, things spiral out of her control. I think I'll always be angry because you're constantly thinking, could it have ended differently had things been different? Jess had hoped to find her parents. She could never have anticipated the ripple effect her search would have, or the lies and deception it's uncovered. She just kept saying she felt violated.
That's the word that she kept using. No words can express when you think that someone has dumped you on the side of a road, that they'd then go and do it again. From Tortoise Investigates and The Observer, this is Foundling, a story about the decisions we make and the secrets we keep. Lies always come out, don't they? Skeletons are always going to come out eventually.
Chapter 5: What secrets and truths are revealed as Jess continues her search?
Foundling launches on Tuesday the 24th of March. Search for Foundling on your favourite podcast platform and follow the feed to make sure you don't miss the first episode. To listen to the entire series on Tuesday the 24th of March, subscribe to The Observer. You can subscribe using the link in the show notes.