Police search for injured woman after blood found in store toilet

Detectives are worried a woman may be hurt after blood was discovered in a toilet cubicle at The Warehouse.

Police were initially told a fetus had been found in the public block at the The Base shopping centre in Hamilton, but found no evidence to confirm that.

A staff member is thought to have discovered the blood on Tuesday and informed the cleaners, who called police on Wednesday afternoon.

Hamilton police said a young girl with a bleeding nose had also been seen in the area and they were attempting to identify the child to see if there was a connection to the incident.

"At this stage we are working to gain certainty about the events, and clarify if in fact a fetus was found, as physical searches have not found any evidence consistent with a fetus," said Detective Inspector Chris Page.

"Of concern to police is that a woman may need medical assistance and we hope she is able to be identified and confirm she has received the care she may need."

A relative of a Warehouse employee told the Herald she had heard a baby had been found but staff were told to say nothing about it.

The woman said a karakia had been performed over the area.

A manager at The Warehouse in Te Rapa confirmed police were investigating "something" in the toilet, which was barricaded by a large metal screen yesterday.