Coroner finds boyfriend of mother likely involved in baby Israel’s death
Baby Israel was found facedown, bloodied and bruised in his cot — injuries so severe they were likened to those of a car crash victim. A coroner has today revealed the person likely involved in the infant’s suspicious death.
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The boyfriend of a woman whose baby with found facedown, bloodied and bruised in his cot was likely involved in the infant’s suspicious death, a coroner has found.
Eleven-month-old Israel Brenssell-Rimene was discovered unresponsive in the early hours of July 13 2015 with black eyes and a bump to his head — injuries so severe the paramedic treating him likened them to those seen in car crash victims.
Coroner Phillip Byrne ruled Baby Israel did not die of natural causes or accident and his mother’s partner, Quinton Thompson, was in some way involved.
Aleks Devic and Genevieve Alison report on the tragic death of baby Israel.
Israel’s tragic final days
A Dora the Explorer toy, being wrapped too tight, affairs and a sister putting toys in a cot are theories thrown up to change the narrative of little Israel’s death.
But Coroners’ Court documents reveal police have always had one suspect — the man throwing up these stories.
Now a coroner has said that man — Quinton Thompson — was likely involved in the infant’s suspicious death.
Mr Thompson was the best mate of the 11-month-old boy’s dad and the child’s mother’s new live-in boyfriend.
According to the documents, hours before his death, Mr Thompson told Israel’s mum, Tanita Brenssell: “He’s all right babe. He’s been a bit of a whinger. He had a tumble,” after she ran into the bathroom where there was a loud thud.
With bruising to his eyes, a bump on his head and marks all over his body, baby Israel died in the early hours of July 13, 2015, when Mr Thompson found him facedown in his cot, bleeding and in his own vomit.
The baby’s lips were red and dry, and there was bruising to his shoulder, what looked like fingernail marks to his ears, and a fracture to his lower leg. There were also sores at each ankle and a blister on the thigh — similar to burn marks.
Today, Coroner Phillip Byrne ruled Baby Israel did not die of natural causes or accident and Mr Thompson, was in some way involved.
“The injuries identified were not the result of accident … they were inflicted by a third party,” Mr Byrne said.
When considering the “mosaic” of events leading up to baby Israel’s death, Mr Byrne said he was satisfied “Mr Thompson was in some manner involved”.
“He was indeed the only person present during the period proximate to his death,” he said.
The findings follow a three-day inquest last month which examined the infant’s unexplained death and how he sustained the injuries.
The exact cause of baby Israel’s death remains unknown.
Victoria Police Inspector Stuart Bailey, who was with the Homicide Squad at the time of the Israel’s death, told the Coroner’s hearing Mr Thompson was always a suspect.
“The person identified from day one, Quinton Thompson, was a suspect throughout this investigation and nothing changed that view through the entirety of this investigation,”
But in the last two weeks of Israel’s life, Mr Thompson looked after the baby more, the court heard.
Feeds, baths and even changing his nappy and clothes. His mum can only recall feeding him a few times and bathing him twice as her boyfriend took control.
“I think he hasn’t been in control of his faculties because of his perhaps drug addiction, and he’s been heavy handed and that’s resulted in some of the injuries,” Insp Bailey said.
“On the night of baby Israel’s death, he’s been frustrated or something’s occurred on that night, in my opinion … that he’s either shaken that baby or he’s smothered that baby out of frustration because it’s crying or whatever the case may be and those actions have caused the death of baby Israel.”
Ms Brenssell first became pregnant when she turned 16. She had two children with a man called Daniel, an alcoholic who abused her.
She soon met Wayne Rimene — Israel’s dad — and had two children with him. But that relationship also fizzled. He had bipolar and was abusive, police statements tendered to the court reveal.
But after years of abuse, torment and even being strangled by him, Ms Brenssell left Mr Rimene and he was placed in a psych ward.
Mr Thompson, known as “Quinny” to the people he met, moved in about two months after his mate was booted from the home and took on a fatherly role, giving Ms Brenssell independence, help with the children and financial support she hadn’t had before.
“I had the wool pulled over my eyes. I was so tired of doing the kids all the time and I thought he was helping. It makes me sick. I do feel that I failed as a parent,” Ms Brenssell now says.
Ms Brenssell said she initially supported Mr Thompson after Israel’s death, saying: “I didn’t think anybody would be capable of doing that.”
But at the conclusion of her evidence, the distraught mother said: “I believe strongly in my head and in my heart that he suffocated Israel.”
Mr Byrne said Ms Brenssell’s vulnerability and naivety came at a heavy price to her.
He said while there was no “direct evidence” that Mr Thompson inflicted the injuries, he was able to draw inferences from the body of evidence “which constitutes the mosaic”.
The court also heard her mother, Leah, wasn’t a fan of the relationship between her daughter and Mr Thompson. She knew he smoked crack and the “bros” he would hang around with were heavy drug users.
When she heard about what happened to her grandson, her suspicions turned to her daughter’s live-in partner very quickly.
“It was going through my head that maybe Quinny had done something,” she told police.
“I had my suspicions about Quinny and what might have happened.”
Ms Brenssell’s sister, Joanne, also had Mr Thompson in the sin bin — he tried “hooking up” with her when she was 14 years old, but three years later he was with her older sister.
When she would visit the pair at their Hamilton home, it was unbearable; despite plans for a long stay to spend time with the kids, she had to leave.
“He would talk to me like everything I said was wrong and I was really dumb. He acted like he knew everything. He had a weird laugh and he would walk around like he was top shit.”
On July 10 — three days before the death — Ms Brenssell found Israel had a bump between his eyes and just above his nose — and during the day it was getting worse.
Ms Brenssell used a cold flannel to stop it swelling. When Mr Thompson arrived home later that morning, he asked Israel’s sister: “Did you put toys in Israel’s cot again? You have to stop doing that darling.”
A Dora the Explorer doll was found in the bed alongside another plastic doll.
Court documents state that Mr Thompson was having a shower with Israel a few days later, when Ms Brenssell heard a “loud bang” and raced to find out what had happened.
“He’s all right babe. He’s been a bit of a whinger. He had a tumble.”
After the bath, Israel appeared relaxed, according to his mum and was put in bed without having a bottle — he was full from dinner, Mr Thompson would say, telling his mum he ate all the stew and was most likely full.
Mr Thompson went to his back bungalow and smoked marijuana in a bong — Ms Thompson knew about his dope habit but was oblivious to the meth.
According to him, he walked past Israel’s room at 3am after smelling vomit.
“Tanita, Tanita, what do I do,” Mr Thompson shouted before starting to do CPR which was described as “aggressive” for a baby.
Ms Brenssell had her sister on the phone at some point.
“I could hear Quinny saying ‘it wasn’t me’,” she told the court. “My first thought had been Quinny had done something.”
The court heard after Israel’s death, Mr Thompson became more paranoid than he already was, and was panicky and nervous when Leah asked questions about what happened to her grandson, and his story would change often.
He was always following Ms Brenssell around, even to the toilet, so he knew what she was talking about.
“It was as if he was trying to hide something,” Leah told detectives.
A work mate also told police about Mr Thompson’s paranoia. He recalled an incident where Mr Thompson was accusing other people at the shearing sheds of swapping his good shearing combs with “crutching plates” — while they were hanging on his stand.
Still grappling with the heartache of losing her baby boy, Ms Brenssell queried him on the sores on Israel’s leg which resembled burn marks.
“Do you think he’s hit the side of a fire,” Mr Thompson would respond.
“Quinny told me it was because he’s been wrapping him up too tight and he’s rubbing his feet up against his ankles,” Ms Brenssell would recall the explanation her lover gave.
She did not take Israel to the doctor to check out the bruises and marks because she feared authorities would take her boy away and she did not believe in immunisations.
The court documents state Mr Thompson was increasingly losing his cool with the kids and often growled at them, telling the children in the days after Israel’s death: “I’m going to kick your asses.”
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Police say they have gone hard to get justice for Israel and listening devices were used, hoping for a killer confession.
But no smoking gun — only that they were comfortable Ms Brenssell had nothing to do with it.
She was a loving mum whose kids were her world, and the house she kept was immaculate.
Insp Bailey pointed out no one witnessed how the injuries were sustained, who caused them and where.
“The issue we’ve had in this case is in the two weeks leading up to the death of baby Israel, there have been at least eight people in that house at different times, and to prove that one person … did some type of specific act … and there’s some corroborative or supportive evidence to prove that, it’s totally lacking in this case,” he said.
But it was not until recently that something twigged with Insp Bailey after he interviewed Mr Thompson.
“It’s really unusual behaviour for someone … his age, that has openly said to me that he has had affairs with other women while he’s been with Tanita, that he’s not having a sexual relationship with Tanita, yet would be still looking after her child at such an intricate type way … being almost the sole carer — that is extremely unusual,” he said.
“And for him to do that for me that just speaks of someone who’s trying to protect or cover up what’s occurred over a two-week period.”
Mr Thompson, who lives in New Zealand, was due to give evidence to the inquest via video link but abandoned these plans due to last minute legal advice.
Ms Brenssell, who also lives in New Zealand, was not present as the findings were handed down.
No charges have ever been laid by Victoria Police over baby Israel’s death.