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SYDNEY - The parents of a little girl who is believed to have starved to death have been charged with her murder.
Seven-year-old Shellay Ward weighed nine kilograms when her body was found at her home in Hawks Nest, north of Newcastle, on November 3.
Her parents Blakeley Ward, 46, and Sharyn Ward, 37, have each been charged with one count of murder after being arrested south of Sydney yesterday.
Police made a public appeal for the couple's whereabouts after warrants were yesterday issued for their arrest.
They were spotted just before 11am on the platform at Albion Park railway station by a member of the public, who called triple-0.
Detective Inspector David Laidlaw of the homicide squad said they were arrested without incident and taken to Port Kembla police station.
"I'd like to thank the public for helping us out with the inquiries," he told reporters outside the station.
"We were able to track their movements to some degree until the finalisation of the arrest."
Mr Laidlaw said it was not known what they were doing in the area.
They were also taken on separate trips to hospital this afternoon to take medication, but police refused be drawn on what it was.
"They were taken to hospital because they have certain medications that have been prescribed," Mr Det Insp Laidlaw said.
"As per NSW police policy we're unable to administer that medication, so they were conveyed to the hospital."
Mr Laidlaw said the couple had declined to be formally interviewed, but their conduct had been good.
When asked why it had taken police weeks to issue the warrants, Mr Laidlaw said the investigation had been complex.
"The investigation was one of rather different difficulties and complexities," he said.
"At the end of the day police have to formulate enough evidence to present to a court."
The couple were refused bail to appear at Wollongong Bail Court today, and did not apply for bail.
Bail was formally refused, Macquarie Radio and Southern Cross Broadcasting reported.
The case will return to Wollongong court on Wednesday.
The family has been known to the Department of Community Services (DoCS) for 14 years and one of Shellay's siblings was taken into care two years ago.
Several independent inquiries are underway into Shellay's death, which is one of a string of recent incidents which has sparked calls for a Royal Commission into the department.
The body of toddler Dean Shillingsworth, also known to the department, was found stuffed in a suitcase in a Sydney pond one month ago.
Two other children on DoCS files, a 14-month-old boy and a three-year-old girl, suffered severe injuries in alleged assaults over the past fortnight.
- AAP
