Police scour Tweed harbour for clues to baby girl’s death
After a day spent scouring a river for clues, Queensland police say they have established that a homeless baby girl whose lifeless body was found on a Gold Coast beach died in NSW.
Crime & Justice
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QUEENSLAND police say they have established that a homeless baby girl found dead on a Gold Coast beach died in NSW.
NSW Detectives have formally advised Queensland Police they will seek the extradition of a 48-year-old man and will take over the investigation.
Queensland authorities will continue to assist NSW authorities with the investigation.
“NSW Police detectives are expected to travel to Southport tomorrow and seek the extradition of a 48-year-old man,” the NSW police said in a statement.
“It is anticipated he will return to NSW where he will be charged with a warrant.”
NO WAY FOR AN AUSSIE BABY TO DIE
‘WHAT WAS CHILD SAFETY DOING?’
It comes after a day spent scouring the banks of the Tweed River, with police divers scouring a popular boat harbour for clues to the tragedy.
The body of the nine-month-old was found on Surfers Paradise beach around 12.30am on Monday and police initially believed she may have drowned there.
But they now say they have established she died over the border in NSW. She had been living ‘rough’ with her 48-year-old father, 23-year-old mother and two-year-old sibling who is now in state care at Jack Evans Boat Harbour, a popular recreational spot at Tweed Heads.
The couple are being held in the Southport Watch-house after being arrested at Broadbeach on Monday morning.
Police divers were at the harbour all afternoon as they try to determine how the baby came to end up at Surfers Paradise, 30km north of the Tweed.
Trevor Arbon, who runs Big Trev’s Watersports at the boat harbour, said police attended the park late on Monday accompanied by the mother. The couple had left a stroller at the scene.
He said the family, who were travelling in a battered black Toyota HiAce van, had spent several weeks living on and off at the park.
“It was really sad to see the little kids just getting around in disposable nappies,” he said.
Mr Arbon said the father “walked around with a stick with some feathers hanging off it and was banging it on the bins, walking around”.
“A lot of the other homeless Kooris (indigenous people) here didn’t want anything to do with him. The locals were a bit off him. The mother seemed to really care for the kids.
“The last I saw them was two days ago when she had the kids on a blanket here (in the park overlooking the boat harbour).
“It’s so sad for those two babies. They could have been adopted. They were beautiful little babies.”
Robyn Greenside, who lives in her Kombi van and visits Jack Evans Boat Harbour regularly, said she gave the couple some money she received for her birthday on October 30 to buy nappies and food.
“I knew I couldn’t have them all in the van with me at night but the least I could do was look after them in the day,” she said.
“Then I just pulled right back because I was scared of him. He didn’t like strong people around her (his partner) so he felt quite threatened.
“She’s from a very good family in Geelong (in Victoria). She’s university-educated and met him up here at Surfers. I think they’ve been together for about three or four years.
“They arrived in the park in about September and that’s when I worked out they were homeless.”
Ms Greenside said the family were thrown out of a toilet block by a security guard during recent heavy rain.
“I’m so glad that I tried to help them - (the) Child Safety (department) clearly didn’t,” she said.
“When I walked away from the baby, she cried. It’s heartbreaking.”
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