A tragic case involving the death of a nine-month-old baby girl, referred to as Baby Q, is currently under investigation in a five-day inquest at the NSW State Coroners Court. The baby’s father, who had previously experienced auditory hallucinations and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and alcohol-dependence disorder, threw her into the Tweed River at Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads on November 17, 2018. Her body was later found on the shores of Surfers Paradise on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Before the tragic event, the father had attempted to give the child away to a woman in a nearby park. In the evening, he walked to the river’s edge with his daughter and threw her into the water. One of the key questions for the inquiry, led by counsel assisting Donna Ward SC, is whether the child drowned or was suffocated before being thrown into the river, told Daily Mail.
Evidence suggests that the father had a history of mental health issues and was not taking his antipsychotic medication at the time of the incident. He had experienced hallucinations and delusions in the past, including ones where he heard voices instructing him to kidnap and drown a baby.
The inquest is not only examining the father’s actions but also the circumstances surrounding the family on that day, including the mother’s whereabouts. The mother, who also had a history of mental illness characterized by mood disturbances and delusions, was with the baby and her sibling at a park in Broadbeach, Queensland, earlier that day. They were found by police sleeping on the ground in only nappies.
Gold Coast Child Protection Unit officer Adrian Bisa recalled his shock at the situation, noting it was the first time he dealt with homeless infants in his eight years in the unit. The family, who had been homeless for at least a year, was driven by the police to a town in NSW but returned to Tweed Heads five hours later.
Following the baby’s death, it was revealed that Constable Bisa’s report on the family wasn’t received by Queensland Child Protective Services until after the incident. The inquest aims to determine why the protective safety net of police, child safety agencies, and other government entities failed to protect the child.
The father was found not guilty of murdering the baby because of mental illness in 2020, and the mother was discharged under the Mental Health Act after being charged with failing to provide for her child. The inquest, as stated by Ms. Ward, seeks to understand what went wrong and how to improve protective measures for children at risk.
Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame expressed deep sorrow over the case, emphasizing the inquest’s purpose to honor the life of the First Nations girl. The inquest will continue under her supervision.
