Mother Stuffs Newborn In Suitcase, Buries Her In Shallow Grave; Infant Survives

A woman has been arrested and charged with attempted murder for stuffing her newborn girl in a suitcase and burying her in a shallow grave. The child managed to survive the ordeal, according to police.

The incident, which took place in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa, came to light Tuesday morning after neighbors noticed the 34-year-old woman, who hails from the village of Xolobe and whose identity was not revealed, was no longer pregnant. They asked her about the baby but soon realized there was no child anywhere inside her house, reported Sowetan Live.

They alerted the police, who then questioned the woman. She admitted to giving birth to a baby girl Monday evening and burying the infant in the backyard.

"Police went to Xolobe and found a grave in the yard," police spokesperson Priscilla Naidu told News 24.

Officers and neighbors immediately began searching for what they believed would be a lifeless child. They dug up the unmarked grave to find the infant wrapped in a blanket.

However, to everyone's surprise, the child began screaming and moving her hands. The child was immediately rushed to the hospital. According to the doctors, she was unharmed.

As for the mother, she was arrested and also taken to hospital for medical attention.

"She is currently under police guard. A case of attempted murder is being investigated against her," Naidu said further.

Villagers believe it is nothing short of a miracle that the child survived.

"I have never seen something like this in my life. This is a miracle. We do not know how this happened," council leader Nkosi Jongisizwe Ngcongolo said.

Though the child has not been officially named yet, her aunts are calling her "Mangaliso," which means "incredible blessing."

A similar case was reported in Eastern Cape last year after a 21-year-old mother allegedly buried her two-week-old baby boy in a shallow grave. Unfortunately, the child did not make it alive. Reports said the woman was seen carrying her baby boy purportedly to the local clinic. However, the child was nowhere to be seen the next day. It was then that her neighbors discovered the woman murdered the child.