NZ Woman Charged After Toddler Found in Suitcase on Bus

The child is believed to have spent around an hour in the luggage hold of a New Zealand intercity bus, wearing only a diaper.

A bus is seen in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 19, 2021. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

A 27-year-old woman faced court on Aug. 4 charged with ill-treatment of a child after a toddler was found in a suitcase in the luggage hold of an InterCity bus a day earlier.

The driver made the discovery after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment during a planned stop on the route.

Police say they were called at 12.50 p.m. after the driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving. When he opened the suitcase, he discovered the two-year-old girl.

Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said the child was reported to be “very hot” and wearing only a nappy but was otherwise unharmed. As a precaution, she was taken to the hospital for an extensive medical assessment.

He said police “would like to acknowledge and commend the bus driver, who noticed something wasn’t right and took immediate action, preventing what could have been a far worse outcome.”

“Enquiries into this incident are ongoing, and further charges cannot be ruled out. Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children and Young People) has also been notified,” Police said in a statement.

The Ministry for Children said it was working with the child’s family to ensure they were safe.

InterCity said the company was aware of the incident.

“Police were called to respond, and they are now investigating the matter,” it said.

“No one was harmed during the incident, and the service has resumed. As this is now an active police investigation, we are unable to comment further.”

Cases of neglect are relatively rare in New Zealand, and the rate has been declining.

The Children’s Ministry says the number of children and young people (aged 0-17) with a “substantiated abuse or neglect finding” decreased substantially over time, from 18,595 in 2013 to 10,426 in 2022, as has the number of police family harm investigations where a child or young person is identified as a victim, from 2,733 in 2015 to 1,401 in 2021.