Australian inquest probes agencies' failures before Elizabeth Struhs's death
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The gist
An inquest is examining how Queensland agencies handled the case of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, who died in 2022.
The hearings test whether warnings about her family's medical refusal were missed.
Background
Elizabeth Rose Struhs was an eight-year-old girl who died in her Toowoomba home, two hours west of Brisbane, in January 2022 from diabetic ketoacidosis (a dangerous build-up of acids from uncontrolled type 1 diabetes). Her parents stopped giving her insulin days before her death, under the belief God would heal her; the family belonged to a Toowoomba-based religious sect called The Saints, which rejected modern medicine. A Brisbane inquest is now scrutinising decisions by Child Safety, Queensland Police, Corrective Services and other agencies, and is expected to hear from 30 witnesses, mostly people who had contact with the family.
How it unfolded
- 2019Elizabeth was taken to hospital in a comatose, near-death condition from diabetic ketoacidosis; her diabetes diagnosis was not known at the time.
- 2021Her mother, Kerrie Struhs, was jailed on child neglect charges over the 2019 incident and spent several months in custody.
- Dec 16, 2021At an Immediate Risk Assessment, Kerrie Struhs told a corrections officer she would keep her trust in God to heal Elizabeth.
- January 2022Elizabeth died in her Toowoomba home from diabetic ketoacidosis after her parents decided to stop her insulin.
- Oct 16, 2026A child safety staff member told the inquest she never anticipated Jason Struhs would convert to the religious sect.
- Oct 17, 2026Inquest coverage reported that Child Safety ignored hospital warnings before Elizabeth's death.
- Oct 19, 2026The inquest heard that administrative blunders within Queensland Corrective Services meant the mother slipped through the cracks; an unnamed corrections officer was questioned over her December 2021 meeting with Kerrie.
- Oct 20, 2026A senior Queensland police officer, whose name was suppressed, was quizzed on communications between police and child safety services.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- A child safety staff member said Jason Struhs appeared to be managing Elizabeth's diabetes well and she thought he would continue caring for her.
- Caution
- Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard asked a police officer whether a lack of curiosity over Kerrie's beliefs had led to a missed opportunity for further investigation.
- Expert
- Doctors gave evidence that it was unusual to see a child brought in so close to death, since an illness like Elizabeth's would have shown symptoms earlier.
Still unverified
A senior Queensland police officer, whose name was suppressed, said he was unsure whether existing behavioural specialists were consulted over the Struhs matter in 2019.