Authorities in the Philippines detained an American woman Wednesday after a six-day-old child was discovered in her carry-on bag at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.
According to CNN, the 43-year-old woman, who has not been identified, appeared to be traveling alone when airport staff inspected an oversized carry-on suitcase with the child inside.
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The woman claimed to be the baby’s aunt but only possessed a passport for herself.
“She did not have any travel documents for the infant,” said Philippines Immigration Bureau spokesman Melvin Mabulac.
Authorities say the woman claimed she was the child’s aunt, but she had no documents to prove this, not even a passport. https://t.co/M5xYaDiThA
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) September 4, 2019
WATCH: This is the airport’s CCTV video showing the American woman as she goes thru security check. She is seen here taking out the baby from her sling bag. However, airport authorities say she did not declare the baby at the airline check-in and Immigration | @makoipopioco pic.twitter.com/JyLlhXj1cR
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) September 4, 2019
The Philippines National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division is now investigating.
This week’s incident comes just months after Steve Hydes, who was abandoned as a 10-day-old infant at Gatwick Airport in April 1986 finally found his birth parents after 33 years. In March, a plane was forced to return to Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz International Airport after a airlines/plane-returns-to-airport-after-woman-forgets-baby-in-boarding-area.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>woman forgot her baby in the boarding area.
