Questions as to why a high risk Amber Alert wasn't issued before William's death at a remote Queensland campsite have arisen as police investigate the murder-suicide. Photo / GoFundMe
Questions as to why a high risk Amber Alert wasn't issued before William's death at a remote Queensland campsite have arisen as police investigate the murder-suicide. Photo / GoFundMe
The family of a six-month-old baby boy who was killed in a suspected murder-suicide has spoken out, saying the court system let him down.
Katie Buckingham, a relative of young William's devastated mother, has started a GoFundMe campaign to help her pay for his funeral.
"It is with greatest sadness that I have to open up this GoFundMe page. I am raising money for my cousin and her family after this horrific tragedy has occurred," Williams said.
"This mother needs all the help we can give her so she can grieve for the loss of her child. She says she needs to go back to work to pay the mortgage and for her baby's funeral.
"This should never have happened! The courts have let her down and not kept the baby's father away from her son! Now this beautiful and innocent baby boy has been taken from her by the man who did nothing but make her life hell.
"Please help her and her kids to be able to pay for everything they need to so that they can grieve. This is the saddest day for everyone involved."
The campaign's initial target is A$5000. You can donate here.
Questions as to why a high risk Amber Alert wasn't issued before William's death at a remote Queensland campsite have arisen as police investigate the murder-suicide.
Katie Buckingham, a relative of young William's devastated mother, has started a GoFundMe campaign to help her pay for his funeral. Photo / GoFundMe
Council workers found the bodies of the father and his baby boy in a red Holden Commodore parked down a remote track in the Beerburrum State Forest 80km north of Brisbane on Wednesday morning.
But the boy, who lived with his mother 60km away in the bayside Brisbane suburb of Redcliffe, had been reported missing two days earlier, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.
On Monday, William's mother reported her son missing to police after his father, 46, "failed to turn up as a result of some custody arrangements" shared between their child.
The little boy's absence was deemed a "high risk missing person investigation".
But police did not issue an Amber Alert, or child abduction emergency broadcast to facilitate the search for, location and the safe recovery of an abducted child or high risk missing child.
Queensland Police said there wasn't enough evidence for an alert to be issued.
"When we have information around the imminent threat and harm to a child, that's when we raise the alert," Detective Inspector Dave Drinnen said.
"I think the mere fact that we have a custody incident where a child is missing is with the father that always raises concerns for us."
But he said the lack of an Amber Alert "will be looked into" and the child's mother and father separated after "domestic violence incidents".
"It's extremely distressing a very tragic incident," he said.
"The mother was extremely distraught as you can well imagine," Insp Drinnen said.
The worried mother first raised the alarm on Monday when her former partner failed to return her son as per a court-ordered custody arrangement.
It's believed the six-month-old baby was the couple's first and only child.
Questions as to why a high risk Amber Alert wasn't issued before William's death at a remote Queensland campsite have arisen as police investigate the murder-suicide. Photo / GoFundMe
Officers conducted welfare checks on Monday and started to investigate after the baby's mother reported them both missing.
The investigation was quickly escalated to a missing-person report.
Two days later, council workers made the grisly discovery as they wandered down a track off Roys Road camping ground, in bushland at Coochin Creek in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
Mr Drinnen said despite police not sending out an Amber Alert for William, it was still treated as a high risk missing child investigation.
"The mere fact we had a custody incident where a child is missing with the father … where there is a threat or harm to that child, that is when we raise the alert," he said.
The investigation will now be handled by the Sunshine Coast Child Protection Unit.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Queensland Police said the two bodies are yet to be formally identified.
"At this stage, detectives are treating the death of the child as suspicious and the man's death as non-suspicious," police said.
Police were unable to confirm how the two died and a post-mortem will be undertaken.
The council workers, first responders and emergency services will all be receiving assistance.
"While it's very distressing as you can imagine for the family, our first responders, those responders that are locating the deceased then the emergency workers required to attend the scene and undertake their job … it's distressing," Det Insp Drinnen said.
"It was absolutely horrific … a six-month-old child deceased with the father and they'd obviously been there for some time … it's a very tragic event and places a lot of pressure on our first responders.
"This is part of the job … we have to go to and we'll be ensuring our own people get the support as well."
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you. • Run outside and head for where there are other people. • Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you. • Take the children with you. • Don't stop to get anything else. • If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz • Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz • It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz • Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584 • Ministry of Justice: www.justice.govt.nz/family-justice/domestic-violence • National Network of Stopping Violence: www.nnsvs.org.nz • White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women, focusing this year on sexual violence and the issue of consent. www.whiteribbon.org.nz
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