Three newborn babies have been dumped in Auckland rubbish bins since 2021, sparking outrage and sadness in the community and impacting those who find the grisly remains and investigate how they got there. Anger and judgment are often directed at the women disposing of the babies, but a top cop
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Three Auckland cases of newborn babies found in bins distressing, says detective who urges support for mothers
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“All investigations involving the death of a baby are difficult,” said Detective Inspector Scott Beard, tasked with overseeing the inquiries into the Freemans Bay and Onehunga deaths.
“There can be a lot of emotion attached, particularly because they are so young and small and can’t do anything to help themselves.
“A number of the police staff have young children, so it hits home even more.
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“We also have to have a staff member and a supervisor attend the post-mortem. That can be particularly tough.
“As a team, we have a job to do and support each other.”
Beard said the distressing finds also affected the community.
“Obviously, the impact is more than just on police staff,” he said.
“Although the community don’t know full details, the fact that the investigation relates to a baby makes it more impactful due to how vulnerable babies are.
“For these actions to occur, there are obviously key issues and factors that the police won’t always know in relation to the mother.
“The mothers in these cases must need support, and that is the first priority. Yes, police have a job to do, but we also need to look at the welfare of the mother.
“As expected, the situation is devastating and distressing to all the family members.”
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Beard said in the Freemans Bay case, police were not seeking any further information.
A 32-year-old woman was arrested the day after the body was found. She was listed to appear in the Auckland District Court on July 3 charged with interfering with human remains.
Her lawyer told the court that due to ongoing health issues, she was in hospital and could not attend the hearing in person.
She is expected to appear before a judge on July 31.
The woman was granted interim name suppression.
“We are conscious that this is a very delicate situation, and we are ensuring there is support in place for the woman,” Beard said at the time.
Baby Anahera’s community farewell
In the case of the baby found at the recycling plant, despite extensive investigations, police still have no clue who her parents are.
Beard revealed last week that the baby - named Anahera by the community - will be buried in a woven casket next month.
The burial will take place four years to the day after her body was discovered.
“We have worked with the coroner so she can be laid to rest,” Beard said.
“Now she can be released, we will work through the arrangements for a community service for her.”
Beard made another appeal for the mother of the child, or anyone with information, to come forward.
Beard said it was important for police to “resolve this for the baby and her family”.
“It’s not too late for the baby’s mother or someone within her immediate circle of family or friends, to come forward,” he said.
“We urge them and anyone else who might know what happened to do the right thing and talk to somebody, whether it’s police or someone who can notify us on their behalf.“
Middlemore death: An “unprecedented tragedy”
More than a year after the newborn baby boy was found at Middlemore Hospital, his mother pleaded guilty to a charge of concealing the dead body of a child.
In April 2023, the 29-year-old was convicted and granted permanent name suppression.
No further punishment was handed down for her offending, described in court as “an unprecedented tragedy”.
The court heard that the woman had been brought to the hospital by her parents at 5.20am on the day of the birth and death with stomach pain and bleeding.
At some point before 7.40am, she gave birth inside the bathroom attached to her hospital room, placed the baby boy in the bin and cleaned up the area.
A cleaner found the child’s body at 9am, about an hour after the woman had been moved to another room.
When confronted, the woman denied that she had been pregnant and insisted she was not sexually active.
A DNA test confirmed the child was hers, but she continued to insist to police that the baby couldn’t have been hers and that she had no memory of giving birth.
She spent about a year in psychiatric care before the criminal charge was filed against her.
The defendant was diagnosed with having suffered “dissociative amnesia”, possibly triggered by a traumatic event associated with conception.
Police told the court that a post-mortem examination suggested the newborn was born prematurely at 33 to 34 weeks of gestation.
His lungs indicated he was alive at birth. They also showed evidence of extensive congenital pneumonia, but that was unlikely to have been fatal had the baby received medical intervention.
Court documents stated that it was unknown if the boy passed away immediately after birth or survived for some time.
The cause of death remains unknown.
Police said there was no evidence that the woman or her parents knew she had been pregnant.
She did not look pregnant when she presented at the hospital.
The woman’s lawyer sought a discharge without conviction but Judge Stephen Bonnar refused to grant the application.
His decision, he said, came “not without some degree of regret” given the sad circumstances of the case.
Other than the conviction, he did not impose any further sentence on the mother.
He noted the defence position that the offending was “clearly born out of trauma” and that the woman was “a victim before she was an offender”.
The judge said he had “a huge degree of sympathy” for the woman but what would help her most would be concealing her identity rather than avoiding conviction.
“I know that this has been a traumatic ordeal for you. I hope you are able to put this behind you, move on with your life,” he told her in court.
“This need not determine who you are and what you do. It is a tragedy, but it is a tragedy that I hope you will overcome.
“A life has been lost. Why it has been lost, we will never know.”
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH - DO YOU NEED HELP?
If you or someone you know is struggling with pregnancy or parenthood, there are people who can help.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please dial 111 for assistance or go straight to your local emergency department.
Not an emergency, but you need to talk to someone right away? These services are all available 24/7:
- PlunketLine is a free parent helpline and advice service available to all families, whānau and caregivers. Call 0800 933 922
- Lifeline offers free confidential support. Call 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354) or send a text to HELP (4357).
- 1737, Need to talk? – Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor
- Samaritans offer confidential, non‑judgemental and non‑religious support, If you are experiencing loneliness, depression, despair, distress or suicidal feelings, call 0800 72 66 66 now.
For more information, click on the following links:
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa
Mental Health Foundation - postnatal depression
Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 19 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz