New Zealander packs toddler in suitcase - discovered alive

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• In New Zealand, a woman packed her two-year-old daughter into a suitcase and stowed it in the luggage compartment of a coach.
• The toddler was discovered alive during the journey from Whangarei to Auckland at a scheduled stop in the town of Kaiwaka - severely overheated but outwardly unharmed.
• It was only discovered by chance on Sunday after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment.
• The police arrested the 27-year-old mother.
• She was charged with abuse or neglect of a child.

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In New Zealand, a woman packed her two-year-old daughter into a suitcase and stowed it in the luggage compartment of a coach. The toddler was discovered alive during the journey from Whangarei to Auckland at a scheduled stop in the town of Kaiwaka - severely overheated but outwardly unharmed, according to the police. The girl was taken to hospital for an examination, where she was initially to remain.

She was only discovered by chance on Sunday after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment. The bus driver noticed that a piece of luggage was moving. When he opened it, he found the child inside. The two cities are around 160 kilometers apart. The journey normally takes around two and a half hours.

Mother must stand trial

The police arrested the 27-year-old mother. She was charged with abuse or neglect of a child, according to the authorities. She was due to appear in court on Monday.

The "New Zealand Herald" newspaper quoted court documents stating that the woman's behavior could have had many negative effects on the toddler's health, "including suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exhaustion and psychological trauma". She said the alleged act constituted a "significant departure" from the duty of care expected of a reasonable person.

"We would like to commend and praise the bus driver for taking immediate action when he realized something was wrong - and potentially preventing far worse," local police spokesman Simon Harrison was quoted as saying.