A Queensland coronial inquest has been told that it was impossible to alter the stance of child safety personnel once they resolved to send young Elizabeth Struhs home with her parents, despite serious reservations raised by medical professionals. The testimony emerged during ongoing hearings examining the tragic death of the eight-year-old girl, who passed away at home in January 2022 after her parents stopped administering the insulin required to manage her type 1 diabetes.
Her parents were part of a religious group known as the Saints, whose members rejected conventional medicine in the belief that Elizabeth would be miraculously healed or resurrected. Following her death, all 14 adult members of the sect, including her parents Jason and Kerrie Struhs, were convicted of manslaughter.
The coroner heard evidence regarding a 2019 incident when Elizabeth suffered a diabetic ketoacidosis coma. At that time, senior physicians at the Queensland Children's Hospital warned authorities that Kerrie Struhs might undermine long-term treatment due to her outspoken distrust of medicine. Despite these warnings, a meeting led by child safety officers, alongside health and police staff, concluded that returning the child to the care of her father, Jason, was the preferred course of action.
Meeting minutes indicated that officials believed removing Elizabeth permanently would be more detrimental, noting that her father had stepped up to provide care. A police officer who served as a child safety liaison testified that child safety personnel operated under rigid decision-making tools and that their finalized positions were virtually unchangeable once established.
Medical opinions presented to the inquest were divided. Brisbane hospital doctors expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision, with one labeling the strategy entirely inadequate to address the underlying risks, while citing friction between regional and metropolitan medical facilities. Conversely, a child safety pediatrician based in Toowoomba stated she was generally satisfied with the approach, provided the family maintained contact with hospital educators and diabetes support services.
Jason Struhs initially administered insulin against his wife's wishes following the 2019 hospitalization, but later adopted the church's beliefs and ceased treatment entirely by 2021. Legal restrictions prevent the identification of various witnesses who have given testimony, and the coronial inquiry remains ongoing.