Man charged with manslaughter of children dies on bail
A man charged with manslaughter in the deaths of two young children was found dead less than six weeks after being released on bail.
Matthew McAuliffe, 24, was due to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday morning.
In September, he was charged with two counts of negligent homicide and one count of negligently causing serious injury for leaving three children under the age of five alone at a house before a fire broke out.
But a judge dropped all charges against McAuliffe on Friday.
“I confirm that the investigation into Matthew McAuliffe has been suspended this morning due to his death,” a Public Prosecution Service spokesman told AAP.
In September 2024, two teenage girls, aged one and five, died and a third child was seriously injured when a fire broke out in Sydenham, north-west of Melbourne.
The court was previously told McAuliffe was not the biological father of any of the children, but was in a relationship with their mother Shania Lee and lived in the same house with them.
He successfully applied for bail on 8 October.
His lawyer, Sai Ranjit, called McAuliffe’s mother, Melissa, to testify that she had been living with him in regional Victoria while he was out on bail.
She hoped to provide a stable home for her son, who had “been through a lot.”
Mr Rajnit said McAuliffe would comply with bail conditions, including that he not consume drugs or alcohol and attend treatment programmes.
He argued that there was no clear cause for the fire and pointed out weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.
Prosecutors had opposed McAuliffe’s release on the grounds that he posed a risk of committing a crime if released on bail, failing to appear in court, interfering with witnesses and obstructing the course of justice.
Lee, who was released on bail for the same charges, allegedly heard his children’s screams in the security video on his phone after leaving the house with McAuliffe.
He has not yet made a defense and will appear in court for final testimony on January 15.
