This morning, NSW Police announced that a 23-year-old woman was arrested by detectives from Queensland Police Service's Child Protection and Investigation Unit on the Gold Coast, Queensland, about 2pm yesterday.
She was then extradited to NSW where she was charged.
"The woman appeared at Southport Magistrates Court, where Strike force Paula investigators applied for and were granted her extradition to NSW," police said in a statement.
"She was escorted by police to Tweed Heads Police Station, where she was charged with fail to provide for child cause danger of death."
The young mum, who had been recovering under the care of Queensland mental health services, was a former student of a private Clonard College in Victoria and later studied for a Bachelor of Psychology Services at Deakin University.
Her online profiles show she was described as popular and respected by her peers in school.
However, this all fell apart in 2011 when she is understood to have travelled to Queensland after meeting her middle-aged boyfriend in a Melbourne park.
The young mother was released from custody without any charges and it was understood she would have been treated as a witness.
The reason behind the police's decision to let the mother go was made clearer shortly after the father was charged as court documents, seen by the Gold Coast Bulletin, which revealed police allegations that the 47-year-old dad told the mother he was taking the baby to an elder, but murdered her instead by throwing her into the Tweed River.
In the documents, police reportedly claim he left the mum and their other young child in the car park of Tweed Mall for about half an hour on Saturday night while he dumped the baby, who was wearing only a nappy.
The father allegedly believed the child was possessed by demons.
However, when police were asked by reporters on November 26 whether the girl's mother could be charged NSW Police Chief Inspector Wayne Walpole said it couldn't be ruled out as the investigation was ongoing at that point.
Police have been conducting a major land and water search as officers scoured the Tweed Heads River and surrounding areas for evidence.
NSW Police want to find a red and black picnic-style blanket that could have washed ashore somewhere between Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast.
Detectives believe the baby girl was drowned in the area of the Jack Evans Harbour at Tweed Heads between 6pm and 7pm on Saturday, November 17.
The 23-year-old woman was refused bail and is due to appear at Byron Bay Local Court today.
