Woman Arrested After Toddler Found Stowed in Suitcase in New Zealand
The child was found when the bus made a routine stop at Kaiwaka, a town about 50 miles northwest of Auckland, Detective Inspector Simon Harrison of the New Zealand police said in a statement.
The driver noticed the suitcase moving after a passenger asked to open the luggage compartment, the statement said. The driver opened the suitcase and found the girl.
A 27-year-old woman was arrested and has been charged with ill treatment or neglect of a child, the police statement said. The charge carries a potential jail term of up to 10 years under New Zealand law. The police said they have not ruled out further charges. Officials did not say how the woman was connected to the child.
'The little girl was reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed,' Mr. Harrison said. She was transported to the hospital to undergo an extensive medical assessment.
Mr. Harrison commended the bus driver's quick actions, saying that he had prevented 'what could have been a far worse outcome.'
The woman appeared at a district court in Auckland on Monday, local news media reported. The judge granted an order that the woman's name not be disclosed publicly. She did not enter a plea, and the court ordered that she remain in police custody, local news media reported. She will appear in court again on Tuesday after undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.
InterCity, the bus company, which runs long-haul buses across New Zealand, said in a statement that it was aware of an incident involving a passenger on one of its buses on Sunday.
'No one was physically harmed during the incident, and the service resumed,' the company said.
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