Home / Crime and Justice / Child Safety's Mind Unchanged in Girl's Death
Child Safety's Mind Unchanged in Girl's Death
13 Oct
Summary
- Child safety staff were adamant in returning Elizabeth to parents.
- Parents belonged to a religious sect that rejected medicine.
- 14 sect members were convicted of the girl's manslaughter.
A Queensland coronial inquest continues into the tragic death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs, who passed away on January 7, 2022. Her death followed her parents' decision to withdraw the insulin essential for her type 1 diabetes management. Elizabeth's parents were members of a religious sect, the Saints, which adhered to beliefs that medicine was unnecessary and that miraculous healing or resurrection was possible.
In 2019, after a coma due to diabetic ketoacidosis, Elizabeth was hospitalized. Doctors expressed concerns that her mother might interfere with long-term treatment. Despite these warnings, child safety officers decided it would be more detrimental to not return the six-year-old home, believing her father could manage her care. A police officer involved noted that child safety staff's decisions were firm and unalterable.
Last year, all 14 adult members of the Saints sect, including Elizabeth's parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, were convicted of her manslaughter. Kerrie Struhs had previously expressed disbelief in medicine, advocating for prayer instead. While Jason initially intended to administer insulin, he later adopted his wife's religious beliefs in 2021, ceasing the life-sustaining treatment.
