Phoebe Harper was born around 1860 in Feilding, New Zealand. At the age of 14, she became pregnant and gave birth to her first child, Herbert Bertrand Harper. In 1876, she met Robert Veitch, whom she married in 1879. Shortly after their marriage, she gave birth to a daughter, Phoebe, who was of mixed Chinese and European descent, leading to speculation about her paternity. Robert Veitch left the family in 1882, leaving Phoebe to care for her children alone. Struggling financially and socially, she turned to prostitution to support her family. She also suffered from health issues, including lupus, and moved back home for support. ​

On February 26, 1883, Phoebe Veitch drowned her four-year-old daughter, also named Phoebe, in the Wanganui River. The child's body was discovered the following day by a telegraph linesperson. Initially, Veitch claimed her daughter had accidentally fallen into the river, but later accused a man named "Sam Timaru" of the murder, providing inconsistent descriptions of his ethnicity. 

During the trial, witnesses testified about Veitch's difficulties in raising her children and her plans to send her daughter to Feilding. The jury found her guilty of murder but recommended mercy. She was sentenced to death, but the sentence was deferred upon the discovery that she was pregnant. A jury of matrons confirmed her pregnancy, leading to the commutation of her sentence to life imprisonment. She gave birth to a son, Robert, who was subsequently placed in a "baby farm." Veitch died in Wellington's Terrace Gaol on September 2, 1891.