‘Miracle’ for boy, 8, bashed by men who kidnapped and killed Bankstown mum

An eight-year-old boy, beaten over the head with a baseball bat by the same attackers who kidnapped and killed a Bankstown woman, has made a miracle recovery from what were first thought to be life-altering injuries.

An eight-year-old boy, beaten over the head with a baseball bat by the same attackers who kidnapped and killed a Bankstown woman, has made a miracle recovery from what were first thought to be life-altering injuries.

The boy stunned doctors this week by getting “up and walking” less than two weeks after he suffered traumatic injuries when up to five masked men stormed into a home on April 17 and assaulted Thi Kim Tran, 45, at gunpoint, then bashed him on their way out.

The terrified boy and his older brother, 15, watched as Ms Tran, who had been stripped naked by her attackers, was dragged into a waiting SUV, which was found about 6km away, with her body on the back seat.

NSW Police Homicide Squad boss Joe Doueihi said at the time of the brutal attack that the younger boy was so badly beaten, he was likely to suffer physical “complications” for the rest of his life.

Murdered woman Thi Kim Tran with her partner Tung Nguyen. Picture: Facebook

But police sources told The Daily Telegraph the boy was fighting against the odds, and things were looking “a lot better than his initial prognosis”.

He will spend several more weeks in hospital, where he is sharing a room with his brother who is being treated for psychological injuries after witnessing the brutal crime.

A specialist team of detectives is working around the clock to find the people responsible for Ms Tran’s murder, which police say they believe is linked to her partner Tung Nguyen’s alleged involvement with drug manufacturing.

Tung Nguyen and the brothers, the younger of whom was beaten over the head with a baseball bat.

Detective Superintendent Doueihi said Ms Tran’s partner was allegedly involved in a Victorian organised criminal network, which was making a “significant amount” of methamphetamine.

Mr Nguyen has not been charged over Ms Tran’s death, and there is no suggestion he knows who is behind it. Police said he was on an interstate work trip the night his partner was murdered.

Two days after Ms Tran’s death, Victoria Police raided a sparse block of farmland on Pitfield-Scarsdale Rd in Springdallah, where they found evidence the site had been used as a drug lab.

Neighbours said they were “quite shocked” to see a property along their quiet road taken over by police.

Tung Nguyen with the two brothers.

No arrests have been made as a result of the raid.

The land at some stage hosted a “tiny house” farmstay for guests, but it is unclear whether the accommodation is still available to customers, or whether that structure housed the clandestine lab.

As police continue piecing together the horror crime described as “unprecedented” in its callousness, several detectives were seen door-knocking the houses around Ms Tran’s on Wednesday, gathering statements and any CCTV that was missed in the days after the crime.

A locksmith was seen changing the front door lock at Ms Tran’s house, while a woman and her two children who lived in a granny flat at the rear of the block, moved out earlier this week due to “fear”.

“They couldn’t stay after what happened ... they left on Monday, just too scared,” a neighbour said.

Originally published as ‘Miracle’ for boy, 8, bashed by men who kidnapped and killed Bankstown mum