BABY DEATH BOMBSHELL

Police will allege girl died in NSW and her tiny body floated north

THE nine-month-old baby girl found dead on a Surfers Paradise beach died in NSW and drifted north, police will allege. Queensland Police late last night said it had handed over the investigation “as it has been established the death occurred in NSW”. NSW officers are expected to travel to Southport today to extradite the girl’s father. No charges were laid last night. Police divers yesterday scoured the Jack Evans Boat Harbour at Tweed Heads searching for evidence (pictured), while (inset) community members gathered at Surfers beach to pay their respects.

THE nine-month-old baby girl found dead on a Surfers Paradise beach died in NSW and drifted north to the Gold Coast, police will allege.

Queensland Police said late last night NSW Police had taken over the investigation “as it has been established the death occurred in NSW” and will seek to extradite the girl’s 47-year-old father from Queensland.

The baby’s body was found in the early hours of Monday.

Police will allege the baby died in NSW in the “days leading up” to her tiny body washing up on the Gold Coast.

It is not clear if or where the baby was put in the water.

Police this week questioned her father and mother, 23, who is believed to be of European descent. No charges had been laid last night.

Police divers yesterday scoured Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads looking for clues about what happened. They would not confirm what they were searching for.

The harbour neighbours a park the family visited each day in recent months.

Detectives from Queensland were spotted talking to people at the harbour, including the homeless living there, and nearby businesses.

Gold Coast Surf Lifesaving co-ordinator Nathan Fyfe said it was “definitely possible” for an object to drift from Tweeds Heads to Surfers Paradise. “There were strong south-easterlies on Sunday night,” he said.

Regular users of the Tweed Heads park yesterday said they last spotted the family on Saturday morning.

The family moved from town to town, rarely staying in one place long and had recently been as far south as Byron Bay. In recent months, they had started visiting Jack Evans Boat Harbour taking advantage of the picnic tables, available shade and calm water.

Homeless man Brendan Thompson said the family had been coming to the park every day.

“They kept to themselves,” Mr Thompson said. “They have been coming here for a few months. Last year they rocked up.”

At night they would disappear to sleep elsewhere.

The small family were known to keep to themselves, not talking to many of the other homeless people who call the park their home.

“She was very quiet,” Kirsty Davis said.

Mr Thompson described the father as “controlling” but also a “tall, lanky” man.

The family had been spotted with a black van and a few possessions such as a baby stroller and a couple of bags.

Big Trev, who operates Big Trev’s Watersports, also said he saw the family regularly.

“When you saw them you would go look at how beautiful those babies are,” he said.

The baby girl and her brother were described as happy and healthy.

Homeless services in Surfers Paradise had not seen the family since October last year.