Woman arrested after toddler found alive in suitcase stowed in bus luggage compartment
The woman is facing a child neglect charge
A New Zealand woman has been arrested on a child neglect charge after a bus driver found a 2-year-old girl alive in a suitcase that had been stowed in the vehicle’s luggage compartment, authorities say.
The bus driver noticed movement inside the bag during a planned stop in the settlement of Kaiwaka, north of New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland.
It came after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment, Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said in a statement.
When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the toddler, who was very hot but otherwise seemed physically unharmed, Mr Harrison said.
Authorities did not disclose the length of time the toddler was in the luggage compartment or which cities the bus was travelling between.
The girl was taken to a hospital and she remained there on Sunday night local time.
The arrested woman was charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child and was due to appear in court on Monday.
She was not named by law enforcement.
The bus company, InterCity, confirmed to local news outlets that the incident involved one of its vehicles.
The company does not charge fares for children younger than 3 years, who can travel for free on an adult's lap.