A coroner has been tasked with probing the circumstances surrounding the discovery of “cold, blue and lifeless” premature twin baby boys in regional Queensland shortly after they were discharged from hospital.
WARNING: This story contains details that some readers may find distressing.
During a preliminary conference held in Brisbane on Tuesday, the Coroners Court heard details about the boys’ deaths, and their short lives leading up to it.
The court heard the twins, whose identities have been suppressed, were found unresponsive in their separate cots about 11am.
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Paramedics reported they were “cold, blue and lifeless” and had signs of rigor mortis when they arrived.
The twins were born several weeks early and required specialist care, including ventilation in hospital for a number of months.
After they were discharged, they still required oxygen tanks, and a nurse attended their family home for daily checks for the first week.
Following this, a nurse did weekly check-ins, including up until the days before they both died, and they were reported to be doing well.
On the day before they died, their parents told police they had smoked cannabis about 5pm.
They told police the twins were fed, and their oxygen tanks were changed at 9pm.
They reported both babies woke a few times between 10pm and midnight but were able to be settled with dummies.
The baby boys slept in separate cots at the time of their death, the court was told. File photo. (ABC News: Gregor Salmon)
Both parents reported falling asleep between midnight and 2am, with the father falling asleep last, and waking up first, before finding his children unresponsive.
Counsel assisting the coroner Laura Reece KC told the court a forensic examination of a mobile phone shared by both parents would form part of the evidence at the inquest.
“That evidence will show that the phone was in use between 11:56pm … and 5:54am,” she said.
“The examination of that telephone also identified the possible use of a flashlight function at about 2:23am.”
Ms Reece told the court CCTV from their neighbour’s house, which appeared to show the twins’ father leaving his house at approximately 3am, will also form part of the evidence.
“He’s observed walking down the stairs, removing a blanket or doona from a clothesline, and returning back up the stairs to the house,” she said.
Ms Reece told the court this was consistent with usage recorded on the phone at approximately 3:20am when the device was unlocked and YouTube accessed.
“The state of that evidence is that it leaves some questions as to the movements of at least [the father] overnight in the hours leading up to the twins’ deaths,” she said.
The court heard it was “extremely unusual” for both infants to have died at the same time. (ABC News: Marc Smith)
The court heard a forensic pathologist could not determine the cause of the deaths but did find they had a “significant condition”, being prematurity associated lung disease.
Unexpected costs of losing a child
Ms Reece told the court he and other experts considered it was “extremely unusual” for both infants to have died at the same time.
“In the absence of clinically acute fatal injuries,” she said.
The court heard an autopsy found the twins had “multiple older rib fractures” and other unexplained injuries, which two experts will be asked to testify about at the inquest.
Coroner Melinda Zerner is set to examine several issues in relation to the deaths, including the events at their home in the 24 hours prior.
She will also be asked to consider whether a determination can be made about how they died, and if the circumstances of their birth are relevant to the circumstances of their death.
Eleven witnesses are expected to be called at a five-day hearing in far north Queensland in February next year.