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No protocol shared child safety data before girl's death
A Queensland police officer tells an inquest into eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs's death that police and child safety had no system to share information about her case.
In brief
A Queensland police officer tells an inquest into eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs's death that police and child safety had no system to share information about her case. A police officer testified at an inquest that Queensland Police and child safety services had no protocol to share information before Elizabeth…
Eight-year-old died after insulin withheld
Elizabeth Struhs died in her Toowoomba home in January 2022 after her father Jason stopped giving her insulin for type one diabetes. Her mother Kerrie had previously served jail time for child neglect.
Mother held religious beliefs against medical care
Kerrie Struhs held extreme religious beliefs and told investigators she believed God would save her daughter without medical intervention. She maintained this belief even after serving prison time for child neglect in 2019.
Police and child safety had no information protocol
A senior Queensland police officer told the inquest that in 2019 there was no protocol for Queensland Police Service and the Department of Child Safety to share information about criminal charges.
Father converted to wife's religion before death
By December 2021 when Kerrie was released from prison, Jason had converted to his wife's religion. Over the next month he withheld Elizabeth's insulin, leading to her death just weeks after her mother's release.
Police now flag those with extremist beliefs
Queensland Police has since focused more heavily on people who hold extremist beliefs. In June 2026 police introduced measures to flag those with an ideology of concern, including religious, racist and anti-government beliefs.
The takeaway
A police officer testified at an inquest that Queensland Police and child safety services had no protocol to share information before Elizabeth Struhs died in January 2022.
