A mother has been charged with murdering her four-year-old son after police uncovered what they described as a “confronting” scene on the NSW Central Coast.
Police sources have told multiple media outlets they are investigating whether cannibalism formed part of the alleged murder.
NSW Police Superintendent Chad Gillies said: “Whenever a child is a victim of violent crime, and whenever a child is murdered, it strikes at the core of [the] community.”
Here’s what we know.
What happened
A 32-year-old woman walked into Wyong Police Station on Saturday afternoon, prompting officers to conduct a welfare check at a nearby unit on Byron Street.
When officers arrived to the woman’s home they found the body of a four-year-old boy with significant arm injuries.
The Daily Aus cannot identify the boy or the woman under laws protecting the identities of child victims of crime.
Investigation
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death, including how long he may have been dead before officers attended the home.
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“I‘m prepared to say publicly at the moment, it was an extremely confronting scene,” Superintendent Chad Gillies from Tuggerah Lakes Police District said in a press conference.
A post-mortem examination will be carried out to determine the boy’s cause of death.
Charges
The woman, who was previously known to police, has since been charged with murder (domestic violence).
Investigators have seized her vehicle and removed a number of items from the home for forensic examination.
The woman appeared in court on Sunday. She did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.
She will face court again in September.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
1800 RESPECT: 1800 737 732
