Overview

• The two-year-old was found on August 3 during a scheduled stop in Kaiwaka on an InterCity bus traveling from Whangarei to Auckland.
• Police charged the 27-year-old woman with child mistreatment and neglect following the discovery.
• The toddler was overheated but otherwise unharmed and is under comprehensive medical evaluation in a local hospital.
• New Zealand Police alerted Oranga Tamariki and said their investigation remains active, with further charges possible.
• Authorities commended the bus driver for his swift action in opening the luggage hold, crediting him with preventing a far worse outcome.