Grim ‘cannibalism’ probe launched after boy, 4, discovered lifeless and mum charged with homicide
A grim cannibalism probe has been launched after a four-year-old boy was found dead with severe injuries and his mother was charged with murder
Police are investigating if cannibalism was a factor in the death of a four-year-old Australian boy(Image: Nine News)
An investigation has been launched by police to determine whether cannibalism was a factor in the tragic death of a four-year-old boy whose mother has been charged with his murder. A grim discovery was made after a 32-year-old woman walked into Wyong Police Station in New South Wales, Australia, at around 4.40pm on Saturday.
Following her arrival, officers rushed to an address on Byron Street to conduct a welfare check. Inside, they found the body of the young boy, who had suffered significant injuries to his arm.
The woman has since been charged with murder (domestic violence). Law enforcement sources have since told the Sydney Morning Herald that detectives are actively looking into whether cannibalism played a part in the incident.
Superintendent Chad Gillies addressed the media, describing the gruesome scene inside the home as “extremely confronting.”
He said: “It’s been confirmed the child had injuries. I am not going to speculate further on what those injuries are.”
Superintendent Gillies confirmed that the mother and her son were the only people living at the property.
“There is a domestic relationship to the child…the 32-year-old female and the four-year-old child lived at the unit together,” he said, adding that the woman was already known to police.
The woman did not appear in court for her scheduled bail hearing. The harrowing case is now set to return to court on September 1.
Due to strict legal restrictions, neither the woman nor the young boy can be publicly identified.
Superintendent Gillies vowed that detectives would work “methodically” to piece together exactly what happened to the toddler.
He said: “We try to understand what’s happened, why it’s happened, and from my perspective, we owe that to that little boy to make sure that we get the exact circumstances and present them to the court in due course.”
