Lauren Ingrid Flanigan: Everything we know about Sophia Rose murder
The death of three-year-old Sophia Rose in her front yard in May shocked Queensland. This is everything we know in the case that rocked the state.
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The death of three-year-old Sophia Rose in her front yard in May shocked Queensland.
Her mother, Lauren Ingrid Flanigan, was charged with her murder, before her own death in the following days.
This is everything we know about the case that rocked the state >>>
What is the timeline of events?
Emergency services were called to Moore Park Beach in Bundaberg on May 26 after reports a three-year-old girl, Sophia Rose, had been attacked on her front lawn.
Acting Superintendent Brad Inskip said police received multiple triple-0 calls after the three-year-old girl was stabbed multiple times.
Witnesses said the mother of three broke down, and was being consoled by two residents in the gutter of the front yard.
The girl’s father, Jai Ruane, was not home at the time.
By the following day the victim’s mother, Lauren Ingrid Flanigan, was charged with murder.
A candlelight vigil was held for the victim on June 1 at the Moore Park Beach foreshore.
Ms Flanigan, 32, died in hospital after she was found unresponsive on the floor of her high-risk cell on May 30.
Ms Flanigan was due to front a Queensland court in July, charged with Sophia’s murder.
Who was Lauren Ingrid Flanigan?
The Queensland woman charged with the murder of her three-year-old daughter wrote chilling posts about her battle against “the system” just days before allegedly stabbing the toddler.
Lauren Ingrid Flanigan, 32, also posted on Instagram her pride in being a mum with pictures of a growing baby bump back in April 2021.
“This is Kingdom Rising. We move. We build. We burn with holy fire. No more delays. No more compromise,” one of the posts read.
It was understood she had been attending Alive Church in Bundaberg since last year with Sophia dedicated only in recent times.
“As a church family, we are hurting,’’ senior pastors Adam and Joey Ryan said in a statement.
“We are now wrestling with the same questions many of us are.
“Unfortunately, “Why?” is not always easily answered.”
Many of Ms Flanigan’s recent Instagram posts talked about rising up, and ‘to remember who you are’.
Who was Sophia Rose?
The girl’s father, Jai Ruane, described little Sophia as “bubbly” and the “light of his life.”
“Always smiling, always wanting to help,” he said of Sophia.
“Just full of life and love.”
“She just had a huge heart.”
Alive Church pastors Adam and Joey Ryan said young Sophia would be dearly missed by the church community.
“Sophia was a beautiful little girl. Radiant, happy and just a little bit cheeky,” they said.
“She brought a burst of joy to every room she entered and she will be dearly missed.”
How has the community reacted?
A vigil held at the foreshore of Moore Park Beach, known for being the location of the last photo of little Sophia posted online by her mother, allowed hundreds of community members to remember the 3-year-old for her love of the colour pink and the song Barbie Girl by Aqua.
One of her educators from Kids & Co, Libby French, said of Sophia, “we loved her in the little moments – in the way she twirled, in the way she laughed, in the way she held our hands without hesitation,” she said.
Alive Church in Bundaberg, where Lauren had attended, released a statement.
“We are here to support the family and friends of those involved and our prayers are with the Bundaberg community,” senior pastors Adam and Joey Ryan said.
“Alive Church’s doors are open to those that are hurting, lost and broken, determined that they would find freedom and hope but these are tragic circumstances.
“Our hearts are heavy.”
What have police said?
In the days following the death Acting Superintendent Brad Inskip said the family’s history – including any possible police, departmental or mental health history – would form part of the investigation.
“There’s no indication that there was any long, intensive history with police.”
He said the incident was “horrific” for those who witnessed and attended.
“No doubt it was a horrific scene. It’s a terrible, terrible thing for everybody, including the witnesses and neighbours, including the emergency services who attended … because it’s not something that we ever want to attend.”
In a statement on May 30, police confirmed Ms Flanigan had been found unresponsive in her jail cell.
How is this case impacting broader issues?
Community advocates said it was clear Lauren “needed care, support, and safety — not a prison cell”.
A representative from Sister’s Inside, a Queensland based advocacy group for women in custody, said the mother of three’s death “must be a moment of reckoning”.
“It is in all of our interests to build a society that responds to crisis with care, not cages,” they said.
“Lauren was a vulnerable woman in crisis.
“Her death is a tragedy, and it raises serious questions about how we respond to people in distress.”
A representative from the organisation said the long shadow of grief felt across the community must be held with “deep respect”, but Lauren, and her tragic death, were equally deserving of compassion and understanding.
Originally published as Lauren Ingrid Flanigan: Everything we know about Sophia Rose murder
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