The mother of a baby who was found abandoned in a car is being hunted for by police.

Krista Dittmeyer has not been seen since her baby was discovered alone in a car in North Conway, New Hampshire, with the hazard lights flashing and the engine running on Saturday.

The baby was discovered after police received reports of the empty car in a parking lot at a recreational facility at the bottom of Mount Cranmore.

Police are now treating the incident as a crime and have carried out searches in a bid to try and find the tot's missing mother.

Lieutenant Christopher Perley of the Conway Police Department said that the 20-year-old had no criminal records or a history of mental illness.

He also said he had no reason to believe she would try to harm herself.

'Any time an adult is separated from their child for this period of time will give us cause for concern,' he told local TV station WMUR in New Hampshire.

Krista, originally from Portland, Maine, was driving a Nissan Sentra with her child strapped into the back seat and the car was later found, abandoned by a passerby.

Police said she last spoke with her family by phone at about 8pm on Friday.

Lt Perley said an extensive search of the area has been carried out and agents from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and the Carroll County Sheriff's Officer were providing assistance.

Officers said they had not found anything suspicious and have stopped searching the mountain and will instead focus on interviewing potential witnesses.

The baby was taken to Memorial Hospital for a check-up and has since been handed over by police to family members.