A woman has been arrested after a nine-year-old boy was allegedly murdered at a Townsville home in Queensland’s northeast while other children were around.
Police were called to a home on Charles St, Kirwan, about 7pm on Friday following reports the boy was unresponsive.
Upon arrival, officers found the nine-year-old deceased.
A 24-year-old Kirwan woman was taken into custody at the scene without incident before being later charged with a single count of murder.
Townsville police Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles alleged the boy had suffered a “significant head injury” consistent with blunt force trauma.
Sergeant Miles said whether a weapon was involved in the boy’s alleged murder would form part of their investigation.
“We will await the outcome of an autopsy later this week to give us the definitive, actual injuries that were sustained and what the definitive cause of death was,” he said.
“We believe the child may have sustained the injury within eight hours of police arriving at the scene.
“As to what point the child was deceased will be a matter for the autopsy.”
Sergeant Miles said the boy had been staying at the property for a “period of time” and had been cared for by the 24-year-old woman.
“Our investigation is still ongoing in relation to those arrangements and the formality of any care agreements that were in place,” he said.
Of the pair’s relationship, Sergeant Miles added: “There are at least loose family connections there but not a definitive relationship as in an aunt or anything like that.”
Sergeant Miles said another relative who had spoken with the 24-year-old woman had called paramedics and other children were at the home at the time of the alleged incident.
He said there had been “very brief interactions” between police and the boy previously and officers had attended the home for other matters that didn’t involve offending.
The 24-year-old woman is expected to appear before Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday, though investigations into the incident are still ongoing,
Sergeant Miles said the woman had assisted police with their inquiries.
“As a member of the community, anything involving a traumatic injury and the death of a child, which in circumstances like this … is quite abhorrent,” he said.
“No child should be subjected to anything that leads to this sort of outcome for them and it’s quite totally understandable that the community would be quite upset.
“From our perspective, it’s important that we hold the community’s values to account, and the person who’s been charged (if convicted) is held to account for what’s actually occurred.”
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