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A 30-year-old woman charged with manslaughter over the death of a toddler last week has been temporarily released on bail to her parent's care.
The woman faced the new charge when she appeared in Whangarei District Court today. She held back tears as her parents sat beside her in court.
The woman, whose name suppression continues, was released into their care until tomorrow afternoon. She will then be remanded back into custody for a psychiatric assessment before reappearing in court in two weeks.
The reasons for the short-term release on bail were suppressed.
She was charged with abandoning the child - whose body was found at Parua Bay, near Whangarei - on Friday, and remanded in custody then.
The manslaughter charge was added today.
The 18-month-old girl's body was found in bush 600 metres from the side of a road in Parua Bay on Thursday morning.
Police have so far refused to reveal the relationship between the woman and child.
A post mortem examination last week found that the toddler died from drowning.
- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA
