The newborn was found dead within Middlemore Hospital on August 4. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Police have charged a woman in relation to the discovery of a deceased baby found in a rubbish bin at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital.
The newborn was found dead within the South Auckland hospital on August 4 last year.
A source told the Herald the infant was found in a toilet rubbish bin.
It is understood the mother had been taken to the hospital by family members shortly before the baby was born.
It is unclear if they knew about her pregnancy.
A post-mortem was carried out in a bid to find out if the baby was stillborn or died after birth.
At the time the Herald first reported the grisly find, Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said the death was still “unexplained” and it might be some time before there were any conclusive answers.
He said the post-mortem had been completed but “further testing” needed to be conducted before the baby’s cause of death could be confirmed.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Gollan today confirmed that a woman has been charged in relation to the incident.
“The 28-year-old appeared earlier this year in the Manukau District Court on a charge of concealing the body of a child,” he said.
“Police are not in a position to comment further while the matter is before the court.”
The woman will appear in court again next month.
A second baby was found dead in Auckland in August at a recycling plant in Onehunga.
The baby girl was found on August 16 and efforts to find her mother and family are ongoing.
At the weekend detective inspector Scott Beard said police were “no closer” to locating the mother despite possible DNA links to relatives.
The investigation was ongoing and he urged anyone with information to contact police.
The cases are not connected.
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A selection of cartoons from Herald cartoonist Rod Emmerson over the past year