BABY TOSS REVISITED
POLICE are believed to have re-enacted the alleged murder of a baby at Tweed Heads.
The nine-month-old was allegedly thrown into the river by her homeless father before her body washed up on Surfers Paradise beach a week ago.
Officers including police divers spent hours on the Tweed River yesterday apparently simulating the alleged crime.
“They looked like they were throwing clothing into the river,” a resident told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
POLICE are believed to have re-enacted the alleged murder of a baby girl at Tweed Heads as they continue their investigations into last week’s tragedy.
The nine-month-old was allegedly thrown into the river by her homeless father last weekend. Her body was found washed up on Surfers Paradise beach early on Monday.
Officers, including police divers, spent several hours on the Tweed River yesterday apparently simulating the alleged crime.
“They looked like they were throwing clothing into the river,” a local resident said.
“There were police divers and a cameraman so it was clearly some sort of re-enactment or simulation-type exercise.”
A NSW police spokeswoman said the investigation would ramp up today with a major land and sea operation planned at Tweed Heads.
“Officers from the Marine Area Command will search the Tweed River and outlying foreshores and will be assisted by police divers, who are continuing to conduct dives in line with tidal and current flows on the day of the incident,” the spokeswoman said.
“Search experts from the Public Order and Riot Squad will conduct extensive line searches along the foreshores and parklands that form Jack Evans Harbour, Cunningham Park, and foreshores of Tweed River.”
Homicide Squad chief, Detective Inspector Wayne Walpole, will hold a media conference to appeal for information from the public.
“Investigators are keen to speak with anyone who was in the area during the evening on the Saturday (November 17) and saw or heard anything suspicious,” the spokeswoman said.
The baby was allegedly tossed into the river near Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads by her father after he told the mother he was going to give the child to an elder, police have alleged in court documents.
She and her two-year-old brother had been living rough with their father, 48, and mother, 23, in parks up and down the Gold Coast.
Her father has been charged with murder and investigations have begun into why Child Safety officials on both sides of the border allowed two children to be living on the streets despite the family being wellknown to authorities.
Meanwhile, police have also written to local residents appealing for any dashcam or CCTV footage from the area.
In the letter, Tweed Police crime manager Brendon Cullen said police were interested in information from any locals who may have seen “an Aboriginal male and a caucasian female with two small children” in the area between November 15 and last Monday.
The future of a community shrine to the baby near where she washed ashore in Surfers Paradise will be decided within the next few days. Members of the public have been leaving floral tributes, soft toys and cards at the site since last Monday.