Jennifer Erin Talbot, 43, was arrested in the Philippines earlier this month after a six-day-old baby was found in her luggage. Talbot was at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila at around 6:20 a.m. when security found the baby in her bag, CNN Philippines reported.
The Philippines Immigration Bureau (PIB) told CNN Philippines that Talbot was in Terminal 3 getting ready for her flight back to the U.S. Talbot’s Delta Air Lines itinerary included stops in Detroit and Columbus, Ohio, according to NBC News. The baby was found when she went through security and she could not provide a passport or documentation for the infant.
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“[The] infant was hidden in the oversized belt bag and [she] did not declare nor present to the immigration inspector during departure formalities,” a spokesperson with the PIB told the local outlet.
Talbot originally claimed that the baby was her nephew, but had no documentation to prove that was the case, according to reports from CNN Philippines.
“We worked in coordination with US-based airline who helped us apprehend the passenger at the boarding gate,” said Grafton Medina from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Talbot was arrested and later charged with human trafficking. She appeared in front of reporters in Manila on Thursday, wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. The charges could land her in prison for life.
According to CNN Philippines, Talbot requested to speak with the U.S. Embassy so she has not yet been interrogated.
The newborn is currently with the Social Welfare Department, while investigators search for the baby’s parents.
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