Search resumes for missing baby off South Australia's South East coast

South Australian Police are resuming their search for a missing baby off Cape Northumberland in the state's south-east. This follows the recovery of the bodies of a woman and a toddler from the ocean on Monday.

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The child is less than one-year-old, in any conditions that would cause great concern about the child's ability to survive.

Police were alerted after a vehicle was found running near cliffs west of Port MacDonnell, approximately 400 kilometers south-east of Adelaide. A search operation involving the SA SES, CFS, and local fishermen led to the retrieval of the bodies of a 36-year-old woman from Compton and her toddler. Another child, seen with the woman earlier on Monday, remains missing, and there are grave fears for the infant's safety as the search continues on Tuesday.

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We can't tell exactly how the woman and the young child have entered the water. We're keeping an open mind as to how they've come to be in the water and that will be part of the investigation.

"The child is less than one-year-old, in any conditions that would cause great concern about the child's ability to survive," said Superintendent Trent Cox, officer in charge of the Limestone Coast Region. He noted that it remains unclear how the woman and toddler entered the water. "We can't tell exactly how the woman and the young child have entered the water. We're keeping an open mind as to how they've come to be in the water and that will be part of the investigation."

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Anything like this, it gets around a small town quickly and people are pretty upset by things like this.

Local lobster fisherman Tom Ryan described the town as mourning the loss. "Anything like this, it gets around a small town quickly and people are pretty upset by things like this," he said, noting the proximity of the incident to his home. Ryan also highlighted the town's lack of a dedicated marine rescue boat, emphasizing the need for such resources in a significant fishing port. Superintendent Cox confirmed that volunteers contributed to the search efforts and would likely do so again, expressing gratitude for the services of volunteer marine rescue from Kingston and advocating for more resources.

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It's pretty confronting having something that serious happen that close to your house, especially when you hear that there's children involved that also brings a whole other dimension to what's happened.