Inquest examines if authorities could have done more to prevent death of Elizabeth Struhs

A coronial inquest has begun in Brisbane to examine whether state authorities could have done more to prevent the death of eight-year-old Toowoomba girl Elizabeth Struhs. Elizabeth died of diabetic ketoacidosis in January 2022 after her insulin injections were stopped by her father.

The inquest heard Elizabeth's parents, Kerrie and Jason Struhs, were strongly opposed to the health system and instead believed in the healing power of God. The couple was convicted of Elizabeth's manslaughter last year, while members of their fringe home-based church were also found guilty of the same offence.

Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard opened the hearing by welcoming Jayde Struhs, Elizabeth's estranged sister. "I want to acknowledge the devastating loss made so much harder by the intense public scrutiny and commentary following Elizabeth's death," she said. "I'm sorry that the job that I have to do reignites this."

Coroner Kirkegaard said the inquest was an important opportunity to explore whether Elizabeth could have been "better protected". "I very much welcome your contribution through your family statement," she said to Jayde Struhs. "What she meant to you and your family and how she is remembered to you."

The inquest will hear from 30 witnesses across two weeks, including representatives from the Department of Child Safety, Queensland Corrective Services, Queensland Health, Education Queensland, and Queensland Police. All but one person has had their identity legally suppressed by the coroner.

The first child safety witness to take the stand testified about a report made to the department in 2013, which resulted in a Child Concern Report being recorded. The report was made by someone who raised concerns about Kerrie Struhs being involved in a "controlling" religion "based on the bible". The notifier also raised concerns about "isolation" and "restriction" of the children.

The witness told the court they had no current recollection of that specific report but agreed the context of a parent having extreme religious views would have been "unusual". However, they said the report did not meet the threshold to escalate to a Child Safety Notification, as there was no suspicion that a child had been harmed or was at risk of harm.

In 2019, Child Safety was notified again when Elizabeth was admitted to hospital after becoming critically unwell. The inquest heard hospital staff had "strong" concerns about Elizabeth's treatment, with one staff member testifying that Kerrie Struhs told them on the phone "she didn't need" insulin and "would be healed and god would take good care of it".

The staff member said they had "no doubt" they wanted to submit a report to Child Safety, as insulin was "essential to life". "My concerns were so strong that if [a colleague] said not to, I was still planning to submit a report," she said.