Mum accused of murdering Chinchilla toddler pregnant when little girl’s body dumped, Kaydence Mills

The parents of a missing Queensland toddler who stand accused of treating the little girl ’worse than an animal’, allegedly held her captive naked in a toilet for potty training in the days before her death, a court has been told.

Missing Chinchilla toddler Kaydence Mills's body was buried at the Chinchilla Weir between February and May in 2017 during a family camping trip.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that the following article contains images of the deceased.

A court has been told the parents of a missing Queensland toddler “treated the little girl worse than an animal,” and held her captive in the toilet for potty training in the lead-up to her alleged murder.

Full trial details here.

Kaydence Mills should be turning 10 this year.

The Crown alleges Kaydence Mills was killed sometime between February 16, 2017, when she moved into a Chinchilla rental with her family, and May 6, 2017, when her family went on a trip to North Queensland without her.

Her remains were buried at the Chinchilla Weir during a family camping trip when her mother Sinitta Dawita was between three and six months pregnant with her boyfriend, Tane Desatge’s, second child.

At the Toowoomba Supreme Court on Monday July 22, Ms Dawita and Mr Desatge pleaded not guilty to torture and murder, however they pleaded guilty to interfering with a corpse.

Homicide detectives searching the banks of the Condamine River at the Chinchilla Weir in early March 2020.

Alleged beating during potty training

On day three of the trial, a witness told the court Mr Desatge would beat the girl with a cane because he struggled to potty train her.

The witness said they did not know why the two-year-old girl was not bought a potty for toilet training, rather than being left to live in the toilet with no clothes.

Tane Desatge claims his former partner is responsible for Kaydence’s death, that he urged her to take the toddler to hospital, and he didn’t touch her body becuse it was creepy.

The witness said when Kaydence sat on the toilet, her feet couldn’t reach the floor.

The court was told on one occasion when the two-year-old fell into the toilet, she was told to get herself out.

“Kaydence was bound to die”

At the beginning of the murder trial at the Toowoomba Supreme Court, Crown prosecutor Michael Lehane said the inhuman treatment from Kaydence’s caregivers undoubtedly led to her death.

Mr Lehane alleged the last time Kaydence was seen alive her head was shaved and her face was covered in bruises of various colours.

An old outhouse was excavated after a cadaver dog scented human remains at the little girl's home on the corner of Inverai Rd and Burbank St in Chinchilla on the Western Downs in December 2019. Picture: Peta McEachern

The court was told Mr Desatge was seen hitting Kaydence with a wooden cane and many of the bruises were described as deep pink lines.

Mr Lehane said Kaydence was seen struggling to breathe while laying on a couch, and forensic analysis of her remains showed her left rib had a greenstick fracture which occurred before she died.

The court was told she also had fractures to the base of her skull where the spine was attached, which occurred at or near her time of death.

Homicide detectives removing evidence from the Chinchilla home on the corner of Inverai Rd and Burbank St in December 2019. Picture: Peta McEachern

“Kaydence was bound to die being treated in the manner that she was by these accused,” Mr Lehane said.

“Be it from the beatings which may have included the skull fracture, the malnourishment, being held captive unclothed in the toilet, the absence of medical assistance, or the combination of some or all of these aspects of abuse.

“It was worse than (living like an animal). No animal could reasonably or properly deserve to be treated in such a manner let alone a two-year-old child.”

Alleged motives

Mr Lehane said despite the pair’s relationship being on and off following Kaydence’s death, “they remained united on the cover-up”.

“The litany of lies, the lengthy steadfast cover-up, desperate desire by both to conceal Kaydence from the eyes and thoughts of others… demonstrates that the accused were united in thought… both before and afterwards,” he said.

Kaydence Mills and her mother Sinitta three months before they moved to Chinchilla. Picture: File / Supplied

He said Desatge’s gross mistreatment of the little girl stemmed from a “vengeance” held for her biological father, and a pregnant Ms Dawita allegedly chose Mr Desatge’s children over Kaydence.

“She supported and participated in this cruel and callous treatment… if not at first then ultimately she did so with the recklessness of intent,” he alleged.

The court heard each blamed the other for Kaydence’s death.

Originally published as Mum accused of murdering Chinchilla toddler pregnant when little girl’s body dumped, Kaydence Mills