Baby Boy’s Suspicious Death Rocks Queensland Community: Cops Appeal for Info as ‘Inconsistencies’ Emerge in Mum’s Story
- Police launch fresh appeal for information after 16-month-old boy dies in hospital nine days after being rushed from Burpengary home
- Detectives identify ‘inconsistencies’ in information provided by mother and her partner, who were with the child at the time of the incident
- A 33-year-old man was previously charged with murder, but charges were dropped last year – investigation remains ongoing
In a desperate bid for answers, Queensland police have renewed their appeal for information about the suspicious death of a 16-month-old boy in Burpengary, north of Brisbane.
Emergency services were called to a Staaten St home on December 30, 2021, after concerns were raised about the medical welfare of the child. The little boy was rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital in a critical condition and tragically died nine days later.
At the time, Detective Senior Sergeant Joe Zitny revealed the toddler was at home with his mother and her partner when emergency services arrived. An investigation was launched by Pine River’s Child Protection Investigation Unit, in conjunction with the Child Trauma Unit and Homicide Investigation Unit, to establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
However, in a shocking twist, police announced on Friday that ongoing investigations have led to a number of ‘inconsistencies’ in the information initially provided to them by the mother and her partner.
‘Investigators are renewing their appeal for anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity or concerning behaviour in the vicinity of Staaten Street involving a male child in the lead-up to Thursday, 30 December 2021 to come forward,’ police said in a statement.
A 33-year-old man had previously! been charged with murder in relation to the boy’s death, but the charges were dropped last year. The investigation remains ongoing, with police urging anyone with information to come forward.