House of horrors: How did six-year-old Charlie die from alleged criminal neglect?

Police have revealed the family of a six-year-old girl named Charlie had multiple interactions with government agencies in the lead up to her death.

Police have revealed that a six-year-old girl named Charlie was the victim of an alleged incident of criminal neglect, as an investigation is launched into the family’s interaction with government agencies in the lead up to her death.

SA Police Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams said Charlie was taken to the Lyell McEwin by paramedics on Friday, July 15, after being found unresponsive at her Munno Para home.

Police have been investigating the circumstances of Charlie’s death since Friday and have since declared it a major crime.

The death is believed to be a case of criminal neglect causing death, which carries a maximum term of life imprisonment.

A simultaneous and comprehensive investigation will also be undertaken into the broader causes of Charlie’s death.

Williams said the investigation was in its early stages but would receive “maximum resources” from SA Police and partner agencies, with the state coroner also briefed.

Six-year-old Charlie, who died of alleged criminal neglect.

Charlie on her sixth - and final - birthday.

Williams said post-mortem results indicated concerns about the state of Charlie’s health and wellbeing at the time of her death.

“We’ll be looking at what interaction the family had with agencies, both government and non-government,” Williams said.

“But it will take us a period of time to get all that information together.”

Williams confirmed that SA Police and other government agencies had previously been in contact with Charlie’s family, but the nature of the interactions was under investigation.

The deputy commissioner said it was too early to determine whether Charlie’s death was preventable.

“Different notifications of interactions can require different levels of intervention … but it’s too early to say at this stage,” she said.

“We live in a society that tends to require and want an immediate response, but we’re here to do this properly and do this thoroughly.

“We want to understand what happened to Charlie and why she died in the circumstances she did.”

South Australian Police deputy commissioner Linda Williams. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Williams confirmed that police were alerted by the SA Ambulance Service of Charlie’s condition on Friday before her admission to hospital.

“There are many questions … but the main answer I can give is that this is an investigation and the information I can provide at this time is very limited.”

The deputy commissioner would not confirm the conditions Charlie had been living in but said they were “poor”.

Six-year-old Charlie was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital early Friday morning after being found unresponsive by paramedics. Picture: AAP Image/Russell Millard

Williams said she “understood” comparisons to Adelaide’s infamous House of Horrors case in 2008.

“This is extremely serious. The death of any person is tragic but the death of a young child, a six-year-old girl, obviously causes grave concern for everybody.”

Acting Premier Susan Close said a government review would be undertaken into the interaction between government agencies and the family.

“We’ve asked the chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet to undertake that investigation … but it’s important that it does not interfere with that criminal investigation,” she said.

“It’s important not to prejudge what that review will find. What we need to go is go through the process and ask what interactions have occurred and could they have been done any different.”

Deputy Premier Susan Close. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

The review, to begin immediately, is charged with finding out which services were engaged and when, how the agencies worked together, how effective they were, and what changes might be required.

The review is separate from the post-coronial inquiry, and the police investigation.

Ms Close said human services, child protection, education and housing were the primary agencies engaged with the family prior to Charlie’s death.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard said she offered “love and deepest sympathy” to Charlie’s family and friends.

“This is an absolutely heartbreaking situation … I understand how heartbreaking it is for everybody who hears about this and how frustrated people would be,” she said.

An SA Ambulance Service spokeswoman said paramedics arrived at the scene within eight minutes.

A man who has lived nearby Charlie’s home for 13 years said he had seen children who appeared happy, well-dressed, laughing and playing in the street “all the time”.

“It’s a tragic set of circumstances,” he said.

“You don’t expect things like that to happen in your neighbourhood … any death of a child is tragic.

“Kids are vulnerable and they’re our future.”

The man said the “close knit” neighbourhood would be “wanting to see what the outcome is”.

“The community will know about it, feel it, especially this street,” he said.

He said he heard the ambulance arrive on Friday but there were often incidents in the area.