Charlie’s mum leaves Munno Para home amid police search

Police in protective clothing and masks are searching the Munno Para home of Charlie, as protective security watch over the scene.

A search of the Munno Para home where a six-year-old child was found unresponsive has started on Wednesday, as detectives doorknock her street.

Little Charlie died in hospital on Friday from malnutrition, prompting a police task force to investigate her death.

Police clothed in protective clothing and masks entered her home on Wednesday morning and began searching and photographing the home

Not long after detectives entered the home, Charlie’s mother left the street on foot. Detectives accompanied by protective security are speaking with neighbours in the street.

Charlie’s mother leaves her Munno Para home shortly after police begin their search. Picture: Russell Millard

Detectives leave one of the neighbour’s homes with a CCTV hard drive. Picture: Russell Millard

Charlie, 6, died from malnutrition.

“What’s happened here does need to be understood very clearly and it does need to be made public,” Dr Close told ABC radio.

However, she argued police investigators “need to be the first people to interview all of the workers (in contact with Charlie’s family), to interrogate all of the records, to find out who saw what and when”.

Charlie was found unresponsive at her family’s Munno Para home on Friday and her death is being investigated.

A Detective carries evidence and documents as a police search of the home continues. Picture: Russell Millard

The mother of six-year-old Charlie leaves her home as a police search begins. Picture: Russell Millard

On Monday police announced Task Force Prime had been established to investigate her death. No formal charges have been laid.

“There have been multiple eyes on this family. I am frustrated and concerned that, given that, how is it that this child has died, but we don’t know yet,” Dr Close said.

“If I start telling you the bits and pieces I’ve heard nothing good will come of it.”

Dr Close said the most pressing questions she wanted answered were: “How did this happen, who was looking, what did they see and what did they do?”

“All of that will be made public, subject to any confidentiality requirements for individuals,” she said.

Detectives and police in the Munno Para street Charlie lived on. Picture: Russell Millard

“There were supports being offered to the family out of (the Department for) Human Services so that the mother was better able to have the children living with her. That begs questions doesn’t it? And those questions will be answered.”

It comes as SA’s top cop says the community outrage over Charlie’s death was understandable – but he warned it was a “complex” case that needed full investigation.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens on Wednesday defended an official silence over the death of Charlie in Munno Para on Friday.

A social media photo of Charlie.

Acting SA Premier Susan Close at a press conference about Charlie’s death. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier.

He declined to say whether the mother, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was a person of interest in the investigation or a witness.

“I understand the sense of frustration that people feel and people are expressing outrage,” he said.

“But … let’s not forget the family at the centre of this. Let’s not let’s not cause any further harm to that family at this point in time. Let’s not speculate about the causes or failures, or whether those things exist.

“Let’s conduct the investigation … so we actually make informed decisions about what needs to change in the system if there are changes necessary.”

He would not comment about the family interactions with any government agencies or police, except to say officers had visited the home.

He said other children living at the house at the time of Charlie’s death been taken into custody “for their care” with a decision yet to be made on their future.

“I won’t speculate on the actions or otherwise of any agency that’s attended that house,” he said.

“These are obviously complex matters. It needs to be done carefully and methodically. I won’t put a time frame on it.

The backyard of the Munno Para home where Charlie lived. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“I would probably just remind people who are speculating and making comments in the public domain that there is a family at the centre of this. There are other children.”

He said a task force co-ordinated resources across SA Police, including Major Crime and suburban detectives, forensics, and officers expert in interviewing vulnerable witnesses.

“This is the same advice we gave to the acting Premier (Susan Close) and ministers yesterday.

“You must be very careful about the questions you answer and how you answer those questions.

“I’m not going to speculate on persons of interest, and how that investigation will proceed, other than to give an assurance that the Major Crime Investigation Branch will make sure the task force is conducted in a very professional way.”

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