Baby in bus case: Community blindsided by incident involving well-known Northland family

A woman appeared in court today charged with neglect after allegedly leaving a toddler inside a suitcase in the luggage hold of an Intercity bus from Northland to Auckland.

The family of the woman charged in the baby in the bus case told the Herald today they were oblivious to the event that has shocked the nation.

The Herald arrived at the family home around lunchtime on Monday, the day after the alleged discovery of the overheated toddler in the luggage hold of the bus, yet those in the home claimed they had only just learned of the arrest and incident.

The tight-knit Northland community is reeling at the discovery that one of their own - a young woman from a well-known local family - allegedly put a toddler inside a suitcase in a bus travelling to Auckland.

One resident recalled the defendant as a child growing up in the neighbourhood, saying she was bright and engaging and positive things were expected of her.

The incident unfolded on Sunday. The bus driver became concerned when he noticed the bag moving during a stop in Kaiwaka, and opened the suitcase to discover a 2-year-old girl, police said.

The woman (27) has been charged with neglect and was granted interim name suppression in the North Shore District Court this afternoon. She appeared emotional and wore a purple hoodie, facing away from the public gallery.

The house listed on the woman’s court charge sheet was well-maintained and found down a long driveway off a small rural road in a tight-knit township in Te Tai Tokerau.

It appeared empty when the Herald visited, with no functional cars in the driveway - just a few without wheels sitting on stacked concrete blocks.

The woman’s grandmother lives next door, where a young man told the Herald those living there had only just heard - around noon today - of the woman’s arrest.

The family was reeling with shock and didn’t want to talk to media.

An older man emerged and when asked about the arrest and court appearance said “We don’t know anything about it”.

The woman charged with neglect after a toddler was found in a suitcase on a bus travelling from Northland to Auckland appeared in court today.

Asked about the woman, he said: “We’ve got nothing to say about anything”.

The woman grew up in the picturesque community and was well-known. Residents expressed surprise at the allegation against her.

It was shocking, one told the Herald.

Another spoke of serious losses suffered by the woman and her family in recent years.

The man said the woman had returned to New Zealand from overseas after years of not being seen in the community.

He said it wasn’t known if she had returned to live in the community.

Charged with neglect, the woman appeared emotional as she stood in the dock in court today and wiped her eyes on multiple occasions.

A court charge sheet said her alleged conduct was likely to cause adverse effects to the health of the toddler.

“Namely, suffocation, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat exhaustion, psychological trauma.”

It alleged the offending was a “major departure” from the standard of care expected by a reasonable person.

No occupation was listed on the woman’s charge sheet.

Judge Anna Fitzgibbon granted her interim name suppression and set a next court appearance date for tomorrow morning.

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