‘Tragic accident’: Police reveal horror detail in deaths of boys, 2 and 3, pulled from car in rural Qld

Police have revealed a grim detail after two boys, 2 and 3, died after becoming trapped in a stationary car at a rural Queensland property.

One of the deceased boys trapped in a stationary car was not discovered for hours while the first was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead, police have revealed.

Shockwaves are rippling through the small central Queensland community of Woorabinda after the toddlers’ death – branded a “tragic accident” – on Friday night.

Family and friends of the boys have mourned their deaths in the hours since.

In a statement, Queensland Police said initial investigations indicated a two-year-old boy was found inside a parked vehicle on Richardson St in Woorabinda before he was taken to the local hospital at 7:48pm on Friday night.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Less than an hour and a half later, police attended the address where they located a second boy, aged three, inside a car.

Police were called to Richardson St where they discovered another boy inside a car.

The second boy was taken to hospital and was also pronounced deceased.

Speaking to the media, Central Region Crime Coordinator Darrin Shadlow said police were investigating how the children came to be in the vehicle, which was located at the rear of the home.

“The first child was located and taken to hospital,” Detective Superintendent Shadlow said.

“However unfortunately the second child was not identified.

“The second child was laying down in the rear footwell of the vehicle and was not seen by the residents when they located the first child.”

Superintendent Shadlow said the first child was found on the seat of the car.

Central Region Crime Coordinator Darrin Shadlow said police were investigating how the children came to be in the vehicle. Picture: Supplied / ABC

He said the children were related, but they were not siblings.

Superintendent Shadlow said initial investigations suggested the boys had somehow climbed into the vehicle and had been there “for some time”.

The car in question had not travelled anywhere.

“It’s not a used vehicle, so there are no electronics for windows or anything like that,” Superintendent Shadlow said.

“It appears to be a tragic incident … a tragic event for the community.

Woorabinda is a small Indigenous shire located about 170km southwest of the central Queensland city of Rockhampton.

Family members have taken to social media to express their sorrow over the deaths.

“I know I’ll miss seeing his face in Murgon … when you sneak around to nannies to play with the blocks in the sand and have some treats you will be sadly missed tiny ones,” one loved one wrote.

Locals have also expressed their condolences.

“Heart aches for the whole community Woorabinda this is too sad waking up look straight on Facebook seeing all this …” one person wrote.

“Woorabinda thinking of community too much lost.

“Have no words just sending out some love to my people in Woorabinda feeling heartbroken,” another said.