Contractor suspended after baby body loss

A PRIVATE funeral contractor has been suspended after the body of a baby was left on the road after it fell from the roof of a funeral vehicle.

It is understood the body of the baby, which had been collected in Rockhamption to be taken to the John Tonge Centre in Brisbane, was found by road workers early Thursday morning after it fell from the roof of the moving vehicle.

It was not until the vehicle arrived at the Brisbane morgue that anyone realised the body of the infant was missing.

It is understood two bodytransport vehicles bound for different locations conducted transfers in Eumundi before the incident occurred.

During the transfer, it is believed the body of the baby was left on the roof of a vehicle.

Authorities were alerted to the body by road workers, with officers from the Sunshine Coast CIB attending. The family was notified by Queensland Health officials and are understood to be extremely distressed by the incident.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the licenced, private funeral contractor that was transporting the baby’s body was under investigation.

“This is an incredibly distressing incident,” a spokesman said. “We have spoken with the family to explain what happened, support them and to apologise. This transport was not undertaken by Queensland Health but by a licenced, private funeral contractor.

“Queensland Health has already begun a process to fully investigate the contractor’s actions, so that nothing like this ever happens again. We have suspended use of the contracted service while the matter is investigated.”