Heartbreaking reason why dad drowned his 9-month-old baby girl - before her ... trends now
A coroner has recommended improved co-operation and communication between police and child protective services after a nine-month-old baby was drowned her psychotic father, who thought she was 'evil'.
The circumstances surrounding the death of the child, known as baby Q, were examined during a four-day inquest at the NSW State Coroners Court in December last year.
The inquest was told the baby's father threw her into the water at Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads on the evening of November 17, 2018 while he was 'actively psychotic'.
Her lifeless body washed ashore two days later on the sand at Surfers Paradise, more than 30km north.
The nine-month-old baby's body washed ashore at Surfers Paradise in November 2018. Picture: Channel 7
On Thursday, Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame concluded that she was unable to determine whether the infant had drowned or been smothered before entering the river.
A key focus of the inquest was to learn why the safety net of police, child safety agencies, and homeless agencies had failed in their duty to care for the nine-month-old girl and her sibling.
'How she fell through the cracks is a matter of considerable concern to me,' Ms Grahame said as she handed down her findings.
The homeless family had interacted with police and child protective services in NSW and Queensland on multiple occasions in the months leading up to the nine-month-old girl's death.
Ms Grahame noted the family were 'homeless or in extremely precarious housing' prior to the baby's death that made it difficult for them to be contacted by agencies who were trying to provide support.
While no single person had access to all the relevant information about the family, she said various people 'should have understood' that baby Q was 'a child in need of urgent protection'.
'It is important to acknowledge at the outset that while homelessness was one significant issue the family faced, their difficulties were much more complex,' the coroner said.
'It may be that focus on the family's homelessness at times even contributed to an inadequate appreciation of the real effect of their parents' mental illness on (the children).'
She found both of the baby's parents were 'extremely
