Man charged over death of toddler at Langwarrin home
The devastated mother of tragic toddler Jaidyn Gomes says she “never hurt him” as she returned to the home in Langwarrin where he was killed. A man is due to face court charged with murder.
Law & Order
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The mother of murdered toddler Jaidyn Gomes says she “never hurt him” and “I just want my baby back”.
Stacie Saggers returned to her home around 2pm and said Jaidyn was “her baby”.
“(He enjoyed) playing with his brother,” she said.
“Spending time with me, hugging me.
“I miss him so much. I just want my baby back.
“I never hurt him.”
When asked how Jaidyn would be remembered she said: “as our little snuffles”.
Ms Saggers was accompanied by a police officer and was packing a bag to stay elsewhere.
A man was charged with the two-year-old’s murder yesterday.
Jaidyn, whose body was found just after 4pm on Monday after reports of an injured child at a Langwarrin home, has been remembered as a “bubbly little boy” who loved trucks.
Floral tributes are being left outside the home.
One card attached to a bunch of flowers reads: “rest easy little one”.
A toy truck has also been left outside the home for the two-year-old, who loved trucks.
Beka Williams said Jaidyn was an “innocent and sweet” boy.
“Jaidyn was like all kids, innocent and sweet,” she told the Herald Sun. “My heart is broken for this beautiful soul and hope justice prevails for this bubby.”
His maternal grandmother told the Herald Sun his death was “really sad”.
“When I had him he was always full of cuddles,” she said.
“He was a bubbly little boy. I found Jaidyn to be outgoing.
“He liked trucks. He had a little old plastic truck at my house, he would constantly play with that.”
Jaidyn’s mother, Stacie Saggers, 34, was taken into police custody, along with a 32-year-old man, who has since been charged with murder and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.
Ms Saggers was released on Tuesday night without charge.
Police confirmed a second man was initially arrested but released after it was established he was not connected to the matter.
Jaidyn’s grandmother told the Herald Sun it was a “relief” to know her daughter had not been charged.
“She is off the hook,” Jaidyn’s grandmother said. “It is a relief to know Stacie had no part in it.”
A source close to the family said Ms Saggers had battled drug use and was struggling with the death of her partner last year.
“She’s been through a hell of a lot,” the source said.
In a post to social media in July, Ms Saggers described her youngest son, Jaidyn, as a “little munchkin”.
“I love you my baby snuffaluffagus,” she posted.
Ms Saggers described Jaidyn’s father, Christopher Gomes, who died in a motorcycle accident last year as the “love of her life”.
The pair had two children together, Chayse, 3, and Jaidyn.
Ms Saggers had recently set up a cleaning company to earn extra income to support her family.
Father-of-four Toby Weepers, who lives across the road, said it was a “disheartening” scene yesterday afternoon.
“We saw a lot of police, fireys,” he said. “Then we just saw two men come out arrested; then we saw a young child come out.
“The child didn’t seem too upset, he wasn’t squirming, he just went quietly with a paramedic.
“We also saw a woman. She was eventually arrested.
“She wasn’t really saying anything, she was really spaced out, really quiet.
“They’re just normal, everything else seemed normal, just a normal young family.
“It has shocked everyone.”
Potts Rd resident Beryl yesterday morning said the news was “absolutely dreadful”.
“It’s absolutely sad. I was devastated and so upset … It’s a good neighbourhood. It’s awful,” she said.
SCREAMS BEFORE SUBURBAN TRAGEDY
Neighbour Craig Blackwell said he heard an argument in the house Monday afternoon before things turned to hysterics and police arrived only minutes later.
“I was across the road and heard arguing in the house for about half an hour,” he said.
“Very quickly the argument turned to hysteria and you could tell something had happened.
“She was screaming, shrieking in terror, and the guy in the house was trying to hush her and tell her to be quiet.”
Mr Blackwell said he had run-ins with occupants of the house before — one as early as Friday night.
“It’s not unusual to hear arguing and screaming,” he said. “I’ve been over there a bit to tell them to be quiet.
“Last Friday night, I was over there at about midnight because of the noise they were making.
“A couple of blokes in the house at the time said for me to get f---ed or they would bash me.”
A man who lives over the road with his fiancee said they saw four people, a man, woman and two kids, out the front of the house on Monday.
“We saw them (on Sunday) and would see them through their gates every now and then,” he said.
“They were loud and always yelling and screaming and had loud music on.
“Even though they made a lot of noise we never had any trouble with them, they’ve been pretty good.”
The man said when he pulled up, a woman was handcuffed on the nature strip screaming.
“I got back here at about 4.30pm and there were cops everywhere,” he said.
“The lady was on our nature strip in handcuffs and screaming.
“She was distraught and yelling that she didn’t do anything and she was innocent.”
He said the grandmother came to the scene but was quickly whisked away.
“She was distraught and agitated,” he said.
“She was saying she wanted to see her grandkids and that their dad had died in a motorbike accident.
“She got taken away by police quickly.”
The man said he spoke to a first-responding policeman who had to be taken away.
“The policeman had to give the kid CPR inside the house, he was one of the first to respond,” he said. “He ended up getting taken home.”
The man’s fiancee said the incident came as a shock.
“It is a surprise, it doesn’t matter what circumstances there are, there is nothing that can justify this.”
About 10 undercover police cars flooded the busy Potts Rd where the brick house sits on top of a ridge in the road.
Unkempt bushes and shrubs on the nature strip hide a metal fence but the gravel driveway exposes large glass windows at the front of the property.
A next-door neighbour to the house, who asked not to be named, said she had never had any issues with the woman who lived in the house.
“I always thought it was just a mum and kids who lived in the house,” she told the Herald Sun.
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“I had seen the mum and kid twice, I think they’ve lived there for under a year because I’ve been here for two years.
“They always seemed alright and I have never had issues with them in the past.
“I think she had more than one kid there with her, you’d hear them cry sometimes but that was about it.
“I think she was single. It’s very scary. To see that many cops and for it happen next door is very scary.”