Girl, 15, missing for five months found with her two-month-old baby in a remote mountain cave

Police have reportedly found a 15-year-old girl who had been missing for nearly five months living with her two-month-old baby inside a remote cave in the Knuckles mountain range. She was discovered in a forest area near Meemure following an investigation by Ududumbara Police, after her family had reported her disappearance nearly five months ago.

How the police found the cave

During the investigation, officers became suspicious of a young man who was regularly buying unusually large quantities of rice and other food items from a local shop. Police followed him into a remote forest area, away from human settlements, where they discovered a cave covered with plastic sheets. Inside, they found the missing girl and her two-month-old daughter.

Investigations revealed that the girl had reportedly given birth inside the cave without any medical assistance. Police said a sharp tool commonly used in the kithul palm industry had allegedly been used to cut the baby's umbilical cord, and that the mother and infant had been treated with traditional herbal remedies collected from the surrounding forest. The 23-year-old man, believed to be the baby's father, also reportedly told police that a large pan normally used for producing kithul treacle had been used to bathe the infant.

Arrests and medical care

Police arrested the 23-year-old man and a relative who allegedly assisted him. The two suspects were produced before the Teldeniya Magistrate's Court and remanded until November 20. The girl and her baby were taken into police protection and subsequently referred to the National Hospital in Kandy for medical examination and treatment, while Ududumbara Police continue further investigations into the incident.

The account of events remains part of an ongoing police investigation. The girl is a minor and is not named here. The reported use of improvised tools or forest remedies is not medical advice.