‘No one knew they had a little girl’: Tiffani Scholten’s death rocks Coomera community

Neighbours of Tiffani Scholten, whose death sparked a police investigation, have spoken of their shock and what they saw in the months leading up to the little girl’s death.

A neighbour of a little girl whose death sparked a police investigation said she had “never seen” the 12-year-old in her two years of living there.

Police launched a fresh public appeal this week as part of their ongoing investigation into the death of Tiffani Scholten, who had a rare genetic disorder.

On April 18, police were called to a Bellagio Cres residence in Coomera at 8pm after the little girl was found unresponsive.

Emergency services attended and she was declared deceased.

A crime scene was declared at the home and ‘Operation Uniform Zoysia’ was launched.

On Wednesday, Gold Coast District Vulnerable Persons Group Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Aubort declined to elaborate on the physical condition Tiffani was found in.

He said police were “awaiting final results on pathology tests”.

Tiffani Scholten in 2014

A woman who had lived in Bellagio Cres for two years said she was shocked upon learning of Tiffani’s death.

“You don’t want to hear about a little girl passing - it’s terrible news,” the neighbour said.

“No one knew they had a little girl.

“I’ve seen other kids there (at the house). I know they had kids, but I’ve never seen the little girl.”

The home in Bellagio Crescent Coomera of Tiffani Scholten. Picture Glenn Hampson

The woman said she had never interacted with Tiffani’s family, but added, “everyone’s very quiet in this street”.

“I never waved to them, they never said ‘hello’ to me - I never said ‘hello to them,” the neighbour said.

“They kept to themselves.”

Another neighbour also commented that Tiffani’s family “kept to themselves”.

“We didn’t really have much affiliation with them at all,” he said.

“They were pretty quiet.”

Bellagio Crescent in Coomera is home to a number of families. Picture Glenn Hampson

Another woman living in Bellagio Cres she had not seen Tiffani in the months before she died but had seen her being taken to school about a year earlier.

The Coomera street where the little girl lived is home to a number of young families.

Children’s toys, a bike and an old basketball hoop lined Bellagio Cres when the Bulletin visited on Thursday.

Bellagio Crescent, Coomera. Picture Glenn Hampson

Tiffani suffered a number of medical issues, including Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder which affects the way the brain develops.

In their early investigations police found “no obvious cause of death” and were awaiting preliminary results of her post-mortem examination to determine whether Tiffani had succumbed to her debilitating illness.

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