A 32-year-old woman has been charged with murder after the body of her four-year-old son was discovered at a Wyong unit on the NSW Central Coast. Police made the confronting discovery around 4.40pm on Saturday after the woman allegedly drove to Wyong Police Station and made statements that prompted officers to check her home.
Neighbour recalls hearing argument
Neighbour Harley Chislett, who used to babysit the young boy, was left devastated by the news. He found one of the child's toy cars this morning and plans to keep it as a final memory. “I found that this morning. Yeah, I’m going to keep that one,” he said. Chislett reported hearing what they thought was a typical argument in the days before the discovery. “I thought it was just a typical mother and son argument, just a bit of screaming and carrying on,” he said.
Police describe confronting scene
Police believe the boy was killed days before his body was found. The extent of his injuries has been described as too gruesome to report. “The scene can only be described as confronting for all police and emergency service workers that were there,” Superintendent Chad Gillies of Tuggerah Lakes Police said. Officers say the mother herself alerted them to the tragedy during conversations at the police station. “I won’t go into specifics except to say that there were some discussions and conversations had with police and through those conversations, police formed genuine concerns,” Gillies said.
Family friend remembers happy child
A shocked family friend described the boy as beautiful and loved. “I’ve seen him walking the dog and, you know, walking up and down the street,” he said. “Very energetic he was.” Chislett concurred, calling him “the happiest kid I’ve seen around at that age.”
Court proceedings and investigation
The woman did not apply for bail when she faced court today and will return in September. Her lawyers have indicated she will be seeking a mental health assessment and a suppression order. Police said they owe it to the young boy to establish the exact circumstances of his death. “We owe that to that little boy to make sure that we get the exact circumstances and present them to the court in due course,” Gillies said. 7NEWS understands the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had only moved to the Wyong area with her son in the last six months.
