A WOMAN has been arrested after a two-year-old girl was found trapped inside a suitcase on a bus in New Zealand.
An alarmed bus driver called cops today when he spotted a moving bag at a stop in Kaiwaka – a small town 62 miles north of Auckland.
GettyThe bus driver called the police who were stunned to find a two-year-old girl[/caption]
The woman, 27, was charged with ill-treatment and child neglect, according to Detective Inspector Simon Harrison.
“When the driver opened the suitcase, they discovered the two-year-old girl,” Harrison said in the police statement.
“The little girl was reported to be very hot, but otherwise appeared physically unharmed.”
The luggage was stored in a separate compartment beneath where the passengers sat, police said.
Harrison said the toddler is in hospital undergoing medical assessment.
The relationship between the woman and child has not been confirmed.
She is due to appear in North Shore District Court on Monday.
Police commended the bus driver for taking immediate action and “preventing what could have been a far worse outcome”.
It comes as a man in Arizona was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for leaving his dead son’s body to rot in his mobile home for two days.
Police said that the body of 9-year-old Theodore Antonsen was found in a state of decomposition on a couch, surrounded by soiled diapers and containers suspected to contain urine.
Joseph Gregory Antonsen, the child’s dad, did not call for help when Theodore’s heart stopped beating in July 2024.
He told cops he knew he should have called the authorities, but he was unable to give a reason as to why he didn’t.
Officers found the home sweltering at 103 to 113 degrees – with no air conditioning – according to CBS affiliate KOLD-TV.
According to the autopsy report, there is no evidence that sickness or injury contributed to Theodore’s death.
However, the medical examiner noted that it was hard to determine the cause of death because the boy’s body was left alone for a long period of time.
Antonsen pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse, including one where he acknowledged it could be fatal.
In court, officials revealed Antonsen suffered from addiction, along with untreated mental health issues, according to NBC affiliate KVOA.
He was sentenced to 15 years behind bars, followed by 20 years of probation.
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AlamyKaiwaka is 62 miles north of Auckland[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
