Coroner Honored by Emotional Testimony Surrounding Child’s Preventable Death

BRISBANE, Australia — An Australian coroner was visibly moved to tears on Thursday following the emotional testimony of an 8-year-old girl’s older sister, who spoke about her sibling’s death after insulin was withheld due to parental religious beliefs.

Elizabeth Struhs died from diabetic ketoacidosis in 2022 after her father, Jason Struhs, denied her life-saving insulin treatment.

Elizabeth’s parents, her brother, and eleven other members of a religious group opposed to modern medicine were convicted last year of manslaughter in connection with her death. The 14-member congregation, self-described as the “Saints,” had gathered around Elizabeth as she lay dying, praying instead of seeking medical care.

Jayde Struhs, who fled the family in 2014 at age 16 after rejecting their beliefs, delivered a powerful statement on the final day of the eight-day coroner’s inquest in Brisbane. She described how Elizabeth was denied basic childhood experiences, never allowed to participate in normal activities with other children.

“Having Elizabeth in our lives was something we would have loved,” Jayde said. “She would have had help managing her diabetes, her health, and her learning. She would have experienced Christmas and the joy of being spoilt rotten.”

“I think everyone would agree that what you have done this morning is perhaps the hardest job of anyone in this room in the last two weeks,” Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard told Jayde. “It’s an opportunity for us all to reflect that Elizabeth was and remains infinitely more than the events that have brought us here.”

The coroner will now make recommendations to the state government aimed at preventing similar tragedies. A date for the release of her findings has not yet been announced.

Elizabeth’s mother, Kerrie Struhs, was imprisoned in 2019 for child neglect after Elizabeth’s undiagnosed diabetes left her in critical condition. Upon her release in December 2021, she told police, parole officers, and child welfare workers that she remained convinced divine intervention would heal her daughter without medical treatment.

Source link