An inquest in Brisbane is examining why government agencies judged six-year-old Elizabeth Struhs safe before her death in January 2022. Her doctors had warned that her mother's extreme religious beliefs could sabotage her diabetes treatment, but child safety officers did not act on those warnings. A 2019 intervention ended after 17 weeks, and her father later stopped her insulin. Her parents and 14 church members were convicted in relation to her death. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard will hand down her findings next year.
A coroner says a lack of curiosity about a family's religious beliefs was a missed opportunity to save eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs. Elizabeth died in January 2022 of diabetic ketoacidosis after her father stopped giving her insulin. Her parents had told police, health workers and child safety staff about their views, but few asked why they held them. Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard is considering whether recommendations from Victoria's cults inquiry should apply in Queensland. Police said the issue was complex and that a new reporting flag had been created for ideologies of concern.
Doctors treating eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs recommended an involuntary mental health assessment of her mother, Kerrie Struhs, a coroner has heard. They believed her religious belief that her daughter would be healed was delusional. Child safety officers returned Elizabeth to her mother's care in 2019 despite these objections. Elizabeth died in January 2022 at her Rangeville home, Toowoomba, after her father stopped her insulin. Both parents were convicted of failing to provide the necessities of life, and all 14 adult members of their religious group were convicted of manslaughter. The inquest continues.
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A Queensland child safety officer who returned eight-year-old Elizabeth Rose Struhs to her family has told a coroner they felt out of their depth regarding the family's extreme religious beliefs. Officers also lacked formal training and procedures for tracking cases, education department staff testified in Brisbane. Elizabeth died in January 2022 at the family home near Toowoomba after her father agreed to withhold insulin for her type-1 diabetes, in line with a church ban on modern medicine.
A coroner has begun an inquest in Brisbane into whether eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, of Toowoomba, could have been better protected by state authorities. Elizabeth died of diabetic ketoacidosis in January 2022 after her father stopped her insulin injections. Her parents, Kerrie and Jason Struhs, were convicted of manslaughter last year. The inquest will hear from 30 witnesses over two weeks, including representatives from several Queensland government departments. The first child safety witness described a 2013 report about the family, which was recorded as a Child Concern Report.
