Mother arrested over murder of son, 4, found dead in near-empty pool
The mother of a four-year-old boy found dead in a backyard pool in regional Queensland has been charged with murder.
Tarrin-Macen OāSullivan was discovered after emergency services responded to a call about a child drowning in August, 2021.
Police on Friday said it would be alleged the boy was dead before he entered the disused pool at the Munbura residence near Mackay.
His 46-year-old mother was the only one home with him at the time, Detective Superintendent Darrin Shadlow said.
She was charged after a āvery complexā investigation featuring medical and biomechanical specialists.
āIt was a disused pool in the backyard of the property. It only had a small amount of water in it,ā Det Shadlow told reporters.
āWe believe we can prove the child was deceased before entering the pool. We can show the child didnāt ingest water.ā
The boy had not been dead long before his mother called emergency services, Det Shadlow said.
āThe quick work by investigators who attended that scene initially showed that something wasnāt right,ā he said.
The boyās father did not reside at the property at the time and was ādistressed and distraughtā when told of the arrest on Friday.
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āItās obviously a very difficult investigation,ā Det Shadlow said.
āThe investigation into a childās death is something that is extremely challenging for all police ā¦and for the family as well.ā
The woman was to appear in Mackay Magistrates Court on Friday.
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