Authorities in Queensland, Australia, are investigating the death of a 3-year-old boy who became unresponsive and died at a police station after a car crash early Saturday morning.
According to a statement from Queensland Police, officers responded to reports of a traffic accident in Beenleigh shortly before 5 a.m. local time on Oct. 25. During their initial investigation, they learned that a witness had helped a 22-year-old woman and her young son — later identified as 3-year-old Caden Case — by taking them to the nearby Beenleigh Police Station.
A short time after their arrival, Caden became unresponsive. Police officers administered CPR, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(659x0:661x2):format(webp)/beenleigh-polic-station-102625-8bbe2939d1d84f5aba9ec57d37d4b84e.jpg)
Authorities said that a 24-year-old man and a 1-year-old child had also been in the vehicle during the crash. The man reportedly left the scene with the younger child before officers arrived.
In a press conference later that day, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Mooney stated that Caden “was in a bad medical way prior to [his] arrival at the station” and that his mother had called emergency services beforehand, according to The Courier Mail. Mooney confirmed that the boy had suffered head injuries in the crash.
Police later located the man believed to be the driver at a nearby residence. Mooney said the man and woman involved were the parents of both children, though they are currently separated. The man was charged with breaching a domestic violence order and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Oct. 27.
The investigation into the crash and the surrounding circumstances remains ongoing, with both parents cooperating with authorities.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/queensland-police-102625-4a42398f3b2740c8bc137f35f6dc3f90.jpg)
On Saturday afternoon, Health Minister Tim Nicholls commended the emergency responders who were present at the police station, calling them “unsung heroes.”
“It was quite a horrific circumstance they were presented with at the Beenleigh Police Station,” Nicholls said, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Company. “I also want to thank our first responders, who are often the unsung and forgotten heroes in these tragic circumstances.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by Brittney Moffitt, the cousin of Caden’s mother, to help cover funeral expenses.
“My cousin has tragically lost her 3-year-old son in a car accident due to domestic violence,” Moffitt wrote on the page, describing the tragedy as “a mother’s worst nightmare.”
“All our hearts are breaking, and I want to take a little pressure off her by asking for everyone’s help to raise some money for her son’s funeral. No mother should have to bury their baby, let alone have the stress of worrying about paying for it.”
As of Sunday, Oct. 26, the fundraiser had collected about $2,100 toward its $5,865 goal.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org for free, confidential support 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
