Doctors warned of risk then were excluded before 6-year-old died of neglect
A doctor warned in August 2019 that Elizabeth Rose Struhs was at extreme risk. The doctor later could not attend safety meetings.
Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on January 7, 2022, after her parents withheld insulin, causing diabetic ketoacidosis. In August 2019, a doctor told Queensland's Child Safety Department that Elizabeth was extremely high risk of harm.
The mother refused to believe in medication. After that warning, the doctor could not attend child safety meetings without an invitation from the agency.
An email showed the Child Safety officer wrote that the doctor did not need to be at the next meeting. When asked if the doctor shouldn't be invited, the officer said that would not be her decision.
Elizabeth was airlifted to hospital in July 2019 for the same life-threatening condition. Her parents were members of the Saints, an anti-medicine church group that had split from Pentecostal Christians.
Both parents are now imprisoned.
- 2 years and 5 months
- Years between warning and death
- Parents, brother, and 11 church members
- People present when Elizabeth died
- The Saints
- Church group name
Why it mattersChild protection agencies must act fast on medical experts' warnings before tragedy strikes.
AustraliaThis case exposes gaps in how Australian child safety systems coordinate with health professionals and respond to warnings of serious risk.
Corroborated bysmh.com.au·theage.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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