Mother Reunited With Child, But May Face Abandonment Charges

A woman aboard a Pacific Blue flight from Samoa to New Zealand last week reportedly gave birth in the plane's bathroom - and proceeded to deplane upon arrival, abandoning the baby in the bathroom's waste bin.

The Associated Press said the 30-year-old woman was tentatively identified as a Samoan national. Getting off the plane at Auckland International Airport without the flight attendants realizing she had given birth, the woman's bloodied clothing was noticed as she passed through Immigration.

New Zealand police were investigating the "alleged abandonment of the child by the mother," but were tight-lipped regarding other details. Police spokeswoman Ana-Mari Gates-Bowey said, "A likelihood of this investigation is a criminal prosecution."

Immigration spokesman Rowan Saker said officials are investigating the information the woman provided on her visa application, and why she was allowed to board the flight at such an advanced stage of pregnancy.

The woman was taken to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital for surgery and was later reunited with her baby. A statement released by Pacific Blue read, "We are relieved to have been informed that both mother and child are reunited, are well and are now being looked after in hospital."

FMI: www.flypacificblue.com