Church members claim Elizabeth Struhs wanted to stop lifesaving insulin

Members of an extreme Christian church group on trial for the death of eight-year-old diabetic Elizabeth Struhs told police officers that the girl wanted to come off her lifesaving insulin and that they believed that she could come back to life.

Elizabeth Struhs.

Members of an extreme Christian church group on trial for the death of eight-year-old diabetic Elizabeth Struhs told police officers first on the scene that the girl wanted to come off her lifesaving insulin and they believed she could come back to life at any time.

Police body camera footage played to the Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday of the initial interviews at the Toowoomba home where Elizabeth died in January 2021 show multiple members of a religious group called The Saints telling police they believed the lord would heal her.

The diabetic child is alleged to have died after her parents withheld her insulin because of their group’s core disbelief in medical intervention and faith in God’s healing power.

Loud singing could be heard in the background of the police tapes, which were recorded when the family called authorities the day after Elizabeth was found dead on January 7.

New member and young mother Samantha Schoenfisch told a police officer she had arrived at the home to offer support to the family and to pray over Elizabeth the day she died.

She believed the schoolgirl would rise from the dead.

“She could jump up at any time, really,” Ms Schoenfisch told Senior Constable Christopher McKindley

“(Elizabeth was) definitely not well but trusting in God for victory because that is what God declares.”

During another interview, Andrea Stevens told an officer outside the Struhses’ home that she and members of her family had been sleeping there for ­several days.

She is heard acknowledging the child was getting sick from “diabetes” and that Elizabeth had been on insulin.

“She (Elizabeth) asked Dad (Jason Struhs) to always take her off it, but he didn’t believe it until recently,” Ms Stevens said.

Ms Schoenfisch, her husband, Lachlan Schoenfisch, Elizabeth’s mother, Kerrie Struhs, her brother, Zachary Struhs, and church members Therese Stevens, 36, Andrea Stevens, 34, Acacia Stevens, 31, Camellia Stevens, 28, Alexander Stevens, 25, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, and Keita Martin, 22, are charged with manslaughter over the girl’s death.

Elizabeth’s father and The Saints leader, Brendan Stevens, are charged with her murder.

Footage of Mr Struhs’s baptism into the group in August 2021 was also shown to the court, which heard evidence that the father of eight had resisted ­efforts from his wife and son for years to join.

In footage obtained from the phone of the defendants, Brendan Stevens can be heard saying he will baptise the 52-year-old “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.

He tells Mr Struhs to “take a breath” before dunking him backwards into the basin.

Members of the group can be heard breaking into song while Brendan Stevens says: “Praise the Lord God, hallelujah! Thank you Father.”

The trial continues.

Additional reporting: Newswire