Dead baby's birth kept secret

The grandparents of the dead baby boy found buried in a backyard in south Auckland may not have known their daughter was pregnant.

Police said the baby probably died about a week ago but said it could be weeks before a post mortem could establish how the infant died.

The body of the newborn was found in a makeshift grave in the backyard of an Otahuhu house late on Thursday afternoon after someone with "first hand knowledge" tipped police off to where the boy was buried.

A 22-year-old woman has been charged with assault on a child and a 29-year-old man has been charged with disposing of the child's body to conceal his birth.

The pair appeared in the Manukau District Court yesterday and were bailed to appear later this month. They initially didn't have name suppression but the court then granted an interim order banning publication of their names until Wednesday.

Police believe the grandparents were unaware their daughter was pregnant, Fairfax reported. She lived with them at the Otahuhu house where the body was found. Two other children lived at the house.

The man police charged had been involved romantically with the woman but had been living in Mangere.

Police were told about the baby's death and the grave in the back yard by "someone who had some first-hand knowledge of where it was buried," said Detective Inspector Dave Lynch, from Counties Manukau police.

Officers were seen carrying the infant across the backyard and placing it in a small cot.

Neighbours said the woman who appeared in court had not looked pregnant previously.

Sulia Hill said she saw officers make the grim discovery. She said the body was wrapped in a cloth.

"It was something I didn't want to see ... They took it and put it in a small cot and took it away," she said.

The scene upset her and she had trouble sleeping that night. She was visited by police and asked if she'd seen a baby or noticed if the occupant of the house had been pregnant.

Ms Hill had seen the woman but didn't think she looked pregnant and believed her to be a good mother.

She said the woman lived at the address with her partner and two small children and her parents.

"The children sometimes play with my grandchildren," she said.

Others in the street said a loud party was held at the house last weekend with many people coming and going, but there was no sign of any trouble.

Yesterday, Environmental Science and Research investigators could be seen examining items on a back porch and looking through drawers in a desk. A trampoline, swing set and children's play set could be seen in the yard but there were no visible signs of digging.

Police believe the baby was born about May 26.

A post-mortem examination was to be completed yesterday but it could be several weeks before a cause of death is known.

No one else was being sought in connection with the baby's death.