Inquest opens into death of Australian girl whose medical care was withdrawn

A coronial inquest has opened in Queensland to determine whether state authorities could have better protected eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs before her death in 2022, ABC News Australia and The Guardian reported. A medical specialist at the Queensland Children's hospital had warned years earlier that the child would not be safe at home with her mother, according to The Guardian. [1][2]

The child died from diabetic ketoacidosis on 7 January 2022 at her family home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, after her parents stopped her insulin injections, ABC News Australia and The Guardian reported. The night before her death, her family deliberately withdrew her insulin due to a belief that God would save her life. [1][2][4]

Fourteen members of a home-based religious sect called the Saints, including her parents Kerrie and Jason Struhs, were found guilty of her manslaughter last year after originally facing murder charges, according to ABC News Australia and The Guardian. Nine.com.au reported that the extreme sect had been reported to child safety authorities years before the girl died. [1][2][3][4]

The coroner is currently hearing from witnesses to examine if Queensland authorities failed to protect the child, according to ABC News Australia and Nine.com.au. [2][3]