A newborn baby boy's body was found inside a porta-potty near a popular restaurant chain in Louisiana, United States, police have revealed. The heartbreaking discovery was made near Waffle House in Gretna, a suburb of New Orleans, as emergency crews were called to the area in the early hours of last Thursday morning.

Police and paramedics were dispatched to the Waffle House at 52 West Bank Expressway at around 3.17am local time after a woman allegedly walked into the restaurant and told staff she had given birth in a nearby portable toilet. Officers later found the baby boy's body in the tank of a porta-potty at a construction site near the Mississippi river at 62 West Bank Expressway, around a block away. Gretna Police Deputy Chief Jason DiMarco said: "The autopsy showed the baby was alive at birth." According to the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office, the infant's body was discovered in liquid cleaning chemicals inside the portable toilet tank. An autopsy found the baby died from asphyxia by drowning.

The coroner's office said the newborn weighed 7.2lbs and had been born during the third trimester of his mother's pregnancy.

Tim Genevay, director of forensic operations for the coroner's office, said the baby had not been given a name.

Officials said the infant is likely to receive a 'pauper's burial' unless relatives come forward before the end of April.

The term refers to a basic funeral paid for by the state or local authority when a person dies and there are no relatives able or willing to arrange or pay for it.

Police believe the child's mother was homeless at the time she gave birth.

Louisiana's Safe Haven Law allows parents to hand over custody of a newborn up to 60 days old without facing prosecution.

Under the law, babies can be left at hospitals, fire stations, police stations or public health units without the risk of being prosecuted for abandonment.

The babies can then be treated at hospital.

Lise Naccari, founder of Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies, said: "It's very important that mothers know they can use the Safe Haven Law."