Father’s tribute: ‘Two little peas in a pod’ were loved by all
Pictures have been released of two little girls who died after being left in a hot car, as the father of one of the girls gives an emotional tribute to his daughter and her sister.
Crime & Justice
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TWO girls allegedly murdered by their Logan mother - after being left inside a hot car - have been remembered as “beautiful angels” with infectious laughter who loved their mum.
Kerri-Ann Conley, 27, will face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday charged with the death of her girls Darcey-Helen, 2, and Chloe-Ann, 1.
The girls were pulled unresponsive from a hot car on Saturday in Waterford West, south of Brisbane, just after 1.30pm.
It’s unclear how long the girls had been in the car.
The shattered father of Darcey-Helen, who he called “Pumpkin”, told The Courier-Mail he was devastated.
He said he was also a father figure to Chloe-Ann.
“Darcey and Chloe were loved by anyone and everyone who met them. I absolutely adored them both,” the father, who asked not to be named, said.
“Darcey had a contagious laugh and Chloe really, although they were 12 months apart, wasn’t really that far behind Darcey. I think she learnt a lot off Darcey, mannerisms.
“They just giggled all the time, the pair of them. Darcey would start to repeat everything you were saying.
“You’d say ‘come on’ and she couldn’t say the ‘C’ so it was “tome on”. Her trying to talk was pretty funny.
“She’d sing the ABC and count. You’d go to rouse on her and go ‘one’ and she’d say ‘two’ and start counting with you.
“Chloe, every time you looked at her, she just had a smile from ear to ear.
“They were just two peas in a pod. They would have been inseparable when they got older. “Unfortunately we don’t get to see them grow into beautiful young people,” he said.
Chloe was attempting to walk and was advanced for her age and mimicked her older sister. She was not yet talking, he said.
“She is the only kid I’ve ever known to constantly smile,” he said.
He said Kerri-Ann loved her girls.
“If you had seen videos, photos, that I’ve got of Kerri-Ann and the girls, mate... She adored them and they adored her,” he said.
After their deaths, Detective Inspector Mark White said the young children showed exposure to extreme heat.
“We are in the process of conducting an investigation but also being mindful of the tragic circumstances,” he said.
“We’re at a very fast-paced stage of the investigation now, we have a lot of moving parts.”
They later charged Conley with the murder of her daughters.
The house where the girls were found has remained a crime scene today.
Another friend described the girls as “two beautiful angels”.
“Darcey had a very caring heart for her sister and us all and the most amazing cuddles and kisses, and just as any toddler does, she liked to see how far she would get with being a bit mischievous,” she told The Courier-Mail.
“Like just on Wednesday with tipping out all the pegs onto the grass whilst the washing was being hung and then playing with her sister and myself as we raced around the house pushing the bike that Chloe was sitting in and singing nursery rhymes to Chloe whilst she played in her little sprinkler in the back yard.
“Once she was done playing, and came inside, and laid upon my chest, cuddling me as she fell asleep and had a nap. She was so clever and funny.
“The smiles when I had visited the girls on Wednesday when they saw me and came running and crawling to me to give me the biggest of hugs made my heart melt.”
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