Officials would not reveal the identities of the two children in the trunk.
Dunlap was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment. She was released on her own recognizance Saturday afternoon with a promise to appear in Santa Clarita Court on June 20, Hahn said.
Reached Wednesday at her home in Gardena, Dunlap declined to comment. Her lawyer did not return calls seeking comment.
When she was arrested, Dunlap told the CHP officer that she was a foster parent, Hahn said.
County officials Wednesday issued a news release stating that "the children involved in this incident were not under the supervision of the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services and Ms. Dunlap is not a foster parent."
Department Director David Sanders said Wednesday that he was still gathering information about the case, including any details on past allegations involving the children.
He said the Department of Children and Family Services would investigate to determine whether the family needed assistance or the children needed to be removed from the home.
CHP officials said they were baffled that someone would allow children to ride in the trunk of a car, especially on a hot day and over such a long distance.
"Not only could they have been involved in a traffic collision, but imagine if there was an exhaust leak and carbon monoxide poisoning in the trunk," Hahn said. "And it was warm on Friday, they could have become dehydrated."
Hahn credited the persistence of the motorist who reported the incident.
"There's a number of things that could have happened to them that the citizen possibly averted," the officer said.
All seven children were released into the custody of the 28-year-old passenger in the car.
Times staff writers Hector Becerra and Evelyn Larrubia contributed to this report.
