Cops probe ‘duty of care’ in 12yo’s death
POLICE probing a 12-yearold Gold Coast girl’s death are publicly appealing for information six months on, as they “leave no stone unturned” including investigating “duty of care”. Queensland Police Service made the fresh public appeal on Wednesday as part of the ongoing investigation into the death of Tiffani Scholten. She had a rare genetic disorder.
Back on April 18, police were called to a Bellagio Crescent residence in Coomera at 8pm after she was found unresponsive. Emergency services attended and she was declared deceased. A crime scene was declared at the home at the time and ‘Operation Uniform Zoysia’ was established. On Wednesday, Gold Coast District Vulnerable Persons Group Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Aubort told media detectives were now appealing to anyone who may have seen her between December, 2021 and April 18, 2022. They are also calling for anyone, including children, who may have visited the Bellagio Crescent home or had interactions with the family over the past two years to come forward. “Every parent has a duty of care for a child in their charge, it’s under law. It is certainly something we are looking at during the course of this investigation,” Sgt Aubort said.
“With any sudden death it is incumbent on us to leave no stone unturned in an investigation like this.
“We’ve had various levels of co-operation from the family throughout the course of the investigation.”
Sgt Aubort would not elaborate on the physical condition she was found in at a Bellagio Crescent, Coomera address on April 18.
“Paediatric specialists and experts in the field” have been called in to assist, examining the circumstances surrounding her death and differentiating her illness with anything deemed potentially suspicious, he said.
Sgt Aubort said police were “awaiting final results on pathology tests”.
“The death of a child is tragic. It affects not just the family and siblings but the community around that family. It’s a tragic set of circumstances,” he said.
“It’s extremely delicate. It’s a difficult situation in which we need to balance the rights of everyone involved. But we also need to do our job. And our job is being tasked to this investigation.”
Tiffani suffered a number of medical issues, including Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder which affects the way the brain develops.
In the early investigations police found “no obvious cause of death” and were awaiting preliminary results of her post-mortem examination to determine whether Tiffani had succumbed to her debilitating illness.