An Australian mother and her former partner face murder charges over the death of her 12-year-old disabled daughter, who was found unresponsive and “extremely emaciated” at their home in 2022, authorities say.
Carrissa Kaye Scholten, 36, and Aaron Paul Richardson, 38, were each charged last year with one count of murder in connection to the death of Tiffani Scholten at their Coomera, Queensland, home, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Authorities claim that the care provided by Scholten, a mother of four, and Richardson was “insufficient and directly related to her death,” news.com.au reports. Tiffani ultimately died of malnutrition.
During a bail hearing at Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday, Aug. 25, prosecutors told the court that Scholten had not sent Tiffani to school for an entire term in 2022, news.com.au reports.
Tiffani missed the first week of school due to COVID-19 restrictions but never returned after that, as she was “too sick,” Scholten’s attorney said. Prosecutors allege Scholten never notified the school about Tiffani’s absence, ABC reports.
The court heard that Tiffani spent up to three hours a day inside a crib placed in a cupboard in one of the home’s rooms, ABC reports. Her lawyer added that Tiffani “was more comfortable without too much external light.”
While prosecutors describe their case as “strong in many respects,” Scholten’s attorney argued it may not constitute a strong murder case. “There seems to be several witnesses saying up to the date of death, the mother was trying to feed the child,” he said, ABC reports.
Tiffani had Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological and degenerative disorder that affects brain development, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can vary but often include progressive loss of motor skills and language, as well as seizures.
The disorder also made eating difficult for Tiffani, who had previously been fed through a stomach tube, MSN reports. Scholten told police that Tiffani would go “through stages” of refusing food or vomiting, then resume eating regularly, per ABC.
Rett syndrome, for which there is no cure, primarily affects girls, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Paramedics were called to the home on April 18, 2022, after Tiffani was found not breathing, news.com.au reports. First responders described her as an “extremely emaciated child that unfortunately had passed away,” said Gold Coast police inspector Paul Fletcher during a 2024 press conference.
An investigation revealed that “the care for this child was insufficient and directly related to her death,” Inspector Fletcher said.
Scholten and Richardson have not yet entered pleas, according to ABC.
