Girl returned to killer parents despite ‘cult’ warning

A little girl was killed by her parents after authorities returned her home despite medical experts’ concerns about her family’s extreme religious beliefs, a coroner has heard.

Eight-year-old Elizabeth Rose Struhs died at her family home near Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, on January 7, 2022, after her parents, brother and 11 other members of the “Saints” church group gathered around her to pray.

Her father, Jason Richard Struhs, had stopped taking insulin injections because of his type 1 diabetes.

The Struhs family and their religious beliefs, which ban all modern medical treatments, had been known to child protection authorities since 2013, coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard heard at a pre-inquest conference in Brisbane on Thursday.

The investigation will examine the adequacy and appropriateness of decisions made by multiple Queensland government agencies regarding Elizabeth and her parents.

“The extraordinary circumstances in which Elizabeth died have aroused widespread public outrage and condemnation,” Ms Kirkegaard said.

Elizabeth came to the attention of police and child protection authorities in July 2019.

Her father took Elizabeth to the emergency room after her mother, Kerrie Struhs, concealed the severity of her symptoms due to undiagnosed and untreated diabetes.

The lawyer assisting Simon Hamlyn-Harris told Kirkegaard that medical experts had described Elizabeth as “minutes away from death”.

Child welfare authorities agreed that Jason Struhs would treat his diabetes and released Elizabeth into the care of her parents.

“The decision to return Elizabeth to the family home faced strong opposition from the child protection and coroner service,” Mr Hamlyn-Harris said.

“Due to the strong beliefs she expresses, Elizabeth cannot be safely cared for in a home where her mother lives,” a medical professional emailed at the time.

The parents were later convicted of failing to provide Elizabeth with the necessities of life in July 2019, and her mother was taken into custody.

Jason Struhs escaped prison and once again promised to cure his daughter’s diabetes.

Mrs. Kirkegaard heard that he had converted to the Saints under pressure from his wife and adult son, as well as 12 other members of the church.

He was baptized in August 2021 in a backyard ceremony and immersion in an improvised pit.

‘He didn’t want to stop Elizabeth’s insulin,’ Mr Hamlyn-Harris said

“He apparently suffered greatly, but eventually stopped treatment in January 2022 under this influence.”

Kerrie Struhs was released on parole about two weeks ago.

Her husband and Saints leader, former Queensland police officer Brendan Luke Stevens, was charged with murder for reckless indifference to life.

Jason Struhs and Stevens were acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter along with Kerrie Struhs and 13 other members of the Saints following a Supreme Court hearing in January 2025.

Some witnesses at the trial testified that the Saints were a “cult.”

Mr Hamlyn-Harris said many facts surrounding Elizabeth’s death were not in dispute.

“The inquest will examine the evidence closely to understand fully what happened and what can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future,” he said.

The inquest into Elizabeth’s death will last for two weeks, starting on October 12.

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