The incident was reported in Sabah’s southwestern Beaufort district yesterday.

District police chief Azmir Abd Razak said the man spotted an object floating in a pond not far from his house and decided to take a closer look.

“It turned out to be the decomposing body of a baby boy, believed to have just been born three or four days ago.

“The umbilical cord was still intact,” Azmir said, adding the pond was situated in a secluded area and surrounded by tall grass.

The body has been sent to the nearby Kuala Penyu hospital for a post-mortem, he said, urging those with information pertaining to the case to assist the police.