The decisions that led to a young girl’s tragic death at the hands of a faith-healing cult despite numerous warnings have been laid bare in a coronial inquest.
Elizabeth Rose Struhs was just eight years old when she died in her Toowoomba home, two hours west of Brisbane, in January 2022.
Her parents Kerrie Struhs and Jason Struhs stood around her praying as the little girl suffered through the late stages of diabetic ketoacidosis – a complication of her diagnosed type 1 diabetes.
Her death was entirely preventable, with 14 people later convicted of her manslaughter.
Days earlier, her parents made the decision to stop administering her lifesaving insulin medication – used to treat her type 1 diabetes – under the belief God would heal her of the condition.
Her family were part of a Toowoomba-based cult known as The Saints, a religious sect who rejected modern medicine and spoke in tongues, with her father only newly converted at the time of her death.
The decisions of Child Safety, Queensland Police and Corrective Services, the Department of Education, Queensland Health and other government agencies are now being scrutinised in Brisbane at a coronial inquest into what allowed Elizabeth to return home.
‘Near death’ hospitalisation years prior
In 2019, Elizabeth’s parents had come into contact with the law and Child Safety officials when the girl was taken to hospital in a “near death”, comatose condition, again due to diabetes ketoacidosis – however, her diabetes diagnosis was not known at the time.
Kerrie wanted to heal Elizabeth through God but Jason intervened at the last second, taking his daughter to hospital “minutes” before her death.
Despite her near-fatal hospitalisation, doctors’ warnings and “delusional” beliefs of her mother, government authorities allowed her to be returned home to her family cult.
Doctors gave evidence it was unusual to see a child brought in so close to death when an illness like Elizabeth’s would have shown symptoms prior.
Her condition sparked child safety concerns and an assessment of her family situation.
The inquest was told several doctors at the Queensland Children's Hospital, where Elizabeth was rushed to after Toowoomba Base Hospital staff realised the severity of her condition, advised Child Safety not to return the young girl to her mother.
Messages between the two bodies seen in court showed doctors believed Elizabeth was at “extremely high risk” of death if left with Kerrie.
While Jason had assured authorities he would reject his wife’s religion and continue Elizabeth’s medical treatment and Kerrie said she would not interfere, doctors were convinced the eight-year-old would still be at risk in the family home.
The QCH team told the inquest they went to great lengths to reiterate this message to Child Safety, calling, emailing and engaging with the team numerous times – however one lead doctor said she felt “stonewalled” by the department.
“What I really remember from the conversations with (the child safety officer) is that they kept saying that, from a Child Safety perspective, they have a parent that was willing and able,” she told the court.
Kerrie and Jason were later convicted on neglect charges in relation to Elizabeth’s 2019 hospitalisation.
Elizabeth died only weeks after Kerrie was released on parole.
Elizabeth sent home
After receiving these communications from QCH doctors, Child Safety workers involved in Elizabeth’s case decided on intervention with parental agreement, the inquest was told.
They sought an IPA – a short-term, intensive protection arrangement where parents work alongside Child Safety to keep their child safe at home without a need for a court order – with the idea Jason and Elizabeth would live away from the family home.
However, after discussions with Jason at the hospital, the plan changed.
Child Safety workers involved in Elizabeth’s case told the inquest a child safety officer altered the order to allow Elizabeth to live with Kerrie under Jason’s medical supervision due to the potential emotional stress on the girl, among other logistics, if kept away.
A senior team leader intermittently involved in the matter said she wasn’t aware of the change until Elizabeth was released into custody and, at that point, she was not a decision maker and could not change the course of action.
Another senior team leader said she only became aware of the change two days before Elizabeth went home.
The court was shown evidence that at no point did Kerrie abandon her beliefs, claiming she would not engage in any modern medical treatment but would also not stop Jason from administering Elizabeth’s lifesaving medication.
One child safety officer said, reflecting back, he may have “over-estimated” Kerrie’s commitment to not influence Jason or Elizabeth in her medical treatment.
The inquest continues.