‘She didn’t have to die’: Girl’s death in a Queensland cult

The harrowing case of Elizabeth Struhs has left child safety experts baffled, and in agreement that her death was avoidable, with allegations government failures are as much to blame as the 14 cult members now in jail.

Elizabeth, 8, died in January 2022, after her diabetes medication was withheld by her parents and their cult-like religious group “the Saints”.

In a new podcast probing the case – The Saints, from 9Podcasts – one legal expert calls for the introduction of a manslaughter-type offence that would apply to government departments whose failures lead to a death.

Elizabeth was left in the care of her parents after they had both previously been charged over an incident that left her hospitalised in a diabetic coma.

The Child Safety Department launched an investigation in July 2019, but the case was closed six months later and never re-opened.

“This particular matter didn’t have to happen,” said Dr Kathy Reeves, a senior law lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland.

“She didn’t have to die.”

Reeves, who specialises in family law and child protection, said Queensland legislation needed to be reviewed and reformed. She said that should include harsher penalties for government staff if found culpable in cases like Elizabeth’s.

While there is currently an offence of industrial manslaughter in Queensland, government departments are excluded from its scope. Reeves said they should be included in a new offence similar to corporate manslaughter.

“We really need some legislation that’s going to hold these government departments accountable when these type of things happen when they didn’t have to happen.” she said.

She likened Elizabeth’s case to that of Mason Jet Lee, where department staff were not even sacked despite a coronial inquest finding the department “failed in its duty” to protect the young boy.

“It’s not good enough. There has to be change,” she said.

Elizabeth’s sister Jayde Struhs, who fled the cult as a teenager, is suing the government over her death. Her lawyer has accused the department of failing “an extremely vulnerable child”.

“The criminal trial proceeded against the actual perpetrators, but if the department had done their job, none of that would have occurred,” said Lucille Nel from Shine Lawyers.

“I believe there were multiple failures, multiple missed opportunities to keep Elizabeth safe. We have alleged that there was a known risk, the risk was very high, Elizabeth was an extremely vulnerable child.”

Nel said there was evidence of a doctor telling the department “Elizabeth would never be safe in a home where [her mother] Kerrie resided”.

“It flabbergasts me that the department chose to disregard that very strong opinion from the medical expert,” she said.

A coronial inquest has been announced to examine potential system failures, but a date has yet to be set.

The department has vowed to “co-operate fully with the Coroner during the inquest and once any recommendations are handed down”. It acknowledged the inquest will be “an important opportunity to obtain a full picture of the circumstances that led to Elizabeth’s death, and if there are ways we can strengthen our systems and practices.”

The Saints is available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.