Gold Coast tragedy
A BABY GIRL IS FOUND DEAD ON A BEACH
AT 12.30AM ON NOV. 19, A BABY GIRL WAS found washed up on the shore of Surfers Paradise Beach. Her parents, who are reportedly homeless, have been arrested.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and conducted CPR, but the girl was declared dead. Detectives and the Homicide Squad are doing what they can to uncover the cause of the baby’s death.
Detective Inspector Marc Hogan, who is leading the investigation said, “The body was located on the edge of the surf, so clearly it had been in water, I don’t know how long for.”
The unnamed baby was found by a passerby who was walking along the beach. At just 9 months old, the baby girl was too young to walk, so how she ended up in the water is still under investigation.
The parents, a 48-year-old man and 23-year-old woman, who had not reported their daughter missing, were found in nearby Broadbeach, where they were arrested. A 2-year-old boy, believed to be the baby girl’s brother, is now in the care of the State’s Department of Child Safety.
Gold Coast residents had already shared their concerns with police about the homeless couple, who had been living among the sand dunes with their children.
“It was winter and the dunes were freezing every time the sun went down. I didn’t think that was good for a baby or toddler,” a local resident told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“They had blankets at that time but I would hear the newborn crying [in the] early hours of morning.” •