Police said in a news release that the unidentified woman placed the newborn child in the car's trunk so she could keep an appointment at a women's healthcare facility last week, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer said Sunday.

The woman gave birth to the child Friday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. Police said she told officials at Gaston Memorial Hospital she had left the child in a hospital in Huntersville, N.C.

A search of the hospital turned up no sign of the newborn, leading authorities to question the woman again and search her car -- where they said they found the baby in the trunk Saturday morning. The newborn was treated at a nearby hospital and is expected to recover.

The child was placed in the custody of social services while police determine whether the mother should face criminal charges, the newspaper said.