The incident occurred on a trip between Northland and Auckland. A 27-year-old woman has since been arrested and formally charged with neglect, following the discovery of the toddler inside a closed suitcase during the journey.
Authorities allege that the woman deliberately placed the young girl into the zipped-up suitcase and stored it in the lower luggage bay of the bus, which created a serious risk to the child’s safety and well-being.
According to police, officers were alerted around 12:50 p.m. on August 3.
The call came in after a passenger asked to access the luggage area while the bus was stopped at Kaiwaka.
“The driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving,” said Detective Inspector Simon Harrison.
Reports say the young girl was extremely warm when she was found but, thankfully, showed no visible injuries at the time.
She was taken to the hospital for a full medical check-up, where she was expected to remain for monitoring until later in the evening.
According to Radio New Zealand, the child had been locked inside the suitcase for almost an hour. Shockingly, she was wearing only a diaper and had no other clothing on during that time.
Details about the woman’s connection to the child have not yet been made public. So far, authorities have not disclosed whether they are related.
The woman cannot be publicly identified either, as she has been granted interim name suppression by Judge Anna Fitzgibbon in the North Shore District Court.
Her next court date has been scheduled for August 5.
Regional Commissioner Te Tai Tokerau, Anya Tahere, confirmed that Oranga Tamariki — New Zealand’s child welfare ministry — had been notified.
She shared: “Our thoughts are with the young child involved.”
The bus company involved, InterCity, confirmed to various news outlets that the disturbing event did happen on one of their vehicles.
“Police were called to respond, and they are now investigating the matter. No one was harmed during the incident and the service resumed,” a spokesperson said.
In a follow-up update from police, Detective Inspector Harrison reassured the public that the little girl was found to be in stable medical condition after the incident. He stated in a press release: “We are working with whānau (family) and our partner agencies to ensure the child is cared for.”
“We appreciate that there is high public interest with what has happened,” Harrison said. “However, given the circumstances concerning the child, and the matter being before the Court, we are unable to provide further comment.”
