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A Palmerston North mother is furious a mix up at Work and Income resulted in police searching her home for the body of her dead baby.
Police and Work and Income have since apologised to Charlene Kihi, The Dominion Post reported today.
A week ago police came to Ms Kihi's home, claiming they had information that she had stashed her four-month-old son Tuumoto's body in her freezer.
He had died two months earlier from sudden infant death syndrome.
Ms Kihi, who has two other children, said she was "disgusted" at the way she was treated and could no longer bear to live in her house.
"Once they came I was shattered. It brought baby's death right back. I was in such a state.
"And my poor other kids - I didn't know if I was coming or going. I've had to send them away for the school holidays."
Two weeks ago Ms Kihi asked her Work and Income case manager for a food grant to help provide for her other two children, aged one and five.
She was later told by police the manager reported Ms Kihi had said the baby was in a freezer.
Police arrived at her home last Friday and looked in her deep freeze, fridge-freezer and even checked other rooms for hidden freezers, but found no baby.
"Why would I say my baby was in the freezer? I never even mentioned a freezer," Ms Kihi said.
Ms Kihi received an apology from police shortly after the blunder and she heard from Work and Income yesterday.
Work and Income deputy chief executive Patricia Reade said the mix-up "arose over confusion with another person's situation" and the agency would make sure Ms Kihi received all the support it could give.
"I am devastated that this has happened and that Ms Kihi had to go through such an appalling ordeal. I am deeply sorry we got it so very wrong."
Police were also investigating how the mix-up happened.
- NZPA
