A 5-year-old boy was found dead, tied to a sleeping bag with duct tape that doubled as a blindfold in an alleged twisted effort by his parents to help him sleep in Australia’s Northern Rivers region, according to local reports.
Police were called to a house in the town of Grafton, about 600 km north of Sydney, around 6:40 a.m. Monday following reports that an unconscious boy had been found, New South Wales police said in a news release.
Officers began resuscitating the boy until paramedics arrived, but the tragic 5-year-old could not be saved, police said.
The little boy and his siblings had been restrained in sleeping bags with duct tape – which also doubled as a blindfold at bedtime, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing police sources.
The child’s father and stepmother were home when he died and reportedly told detectives that duct tape was used to help the children sleep, according to the publication.
Specialized police carried out a forensic examination of the house and an autopsy will determine the cause of the little boy’s death, police said.
No arrests have been made in connection with the boy’s death.
The family, who have not been publicly identified, had been on the radar of the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) for at least a year, the Herald reported.
Police believe the youth was living with an intellectual disability and police were called to the home last year for a welfare check.
“The Department of Communities and Justice is aware of the tragic death of a young child in Grafton,” a DCJ spokesperson told Australian media.
“Our sincere condolences go out to those who knew and loved this child.”
Australian National Party politician Richie Williamson called the child’s death in his community “traumatic news.”
“It’s devastating, it’s sad, and it’s something that has upset many members of the Clarence community,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Australian police said they were troubled by reports that authorities had “known the family for some time”, adding that “if DCJ had knowledge of this family… and this unthinkable incident happened, someone must take responsibility.”
“It’s not acceptable to just say, ‘We’ll take stock, we’ll hide behind a press release,'” Williamson lambasted.
“The government, the minister must speak out and explain to my community what happened here, why it happened and if she doesn’t, the minister must resign. »
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