New Zealand woman arrested after two-year-old girl found alive in suitcase stowed in bus luggage

A New Zealand woman was arrested on a child neglect charge Sunday after a bus driver found a 2-year-old girl alive in a suitcase that was stowed in the vehicle’s luggage compartment, authorities said.

The bus driver noticed movement inside the bag during a planned stop at the settlement of Kaiwaka, north of Auckland, after a passenger asked for access to the luggage compartment, Detective Inspector Simon Harrison said in a statement.

When the driver opened the suitcase they discovered the 2-year-old girl, who was very hot but otherwise appeared physically unharmed, Harrison said.

The child was taken to a hospital, where she remained Sunday night local time.

The arrested woman was charged with ill-treatment or neglect of a child and was due to appear in court Monday. She was not named by law enforcement.