A woman faces child neglect charges after a 2-year-old girl was discovered inside a suitcase in the luggage compartment of a bus during a scheduled stop in Kaiwaka, a town in New Zealand’s Northland Region, police said Sunday.
The bus driver noticed movement in the suitcase after the woman, a passenger, requested access to the luggage compartment, according to Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, acting crime manager for the Waitematā district near Auckland.
“The driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving,” Harrison said, per NBC 5 DFW. “When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the 2-year-old girl.”
The toddler was taken to a hospital for an extensive medical assessment.
“The little girl was reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed,” Harrison said.
She remained in the hospital Sunday night.
The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was arrested and charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child. She was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, and police have not ruled out additional charges.
The incident occurred on a bus operated by InterCity, which confirmed to local media that one of its vehicles was involved. The company allows children under 3 to travel free on an adult’s lap.
Authorities did not specify how long the child was in the suitcase or the bus’s route.
