Police in Victoria have issued an arrest warrant for a 27-year-old mother accused of leaving her children alone before a fatal house fire in Melbourne's northwest.
Charges and tragic details of the fire
Shania Lee is facing two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury. The charges stem from a devastating fire that engulfed a Sydenham property on September 8, 2024.
Her two daughters, five-year-old Izabel and one-year-old Lyvia, died in the blaze. Her three-year-old son, Kalais, survived the incident but sustained injuries.
Prosecutors allege that Lee left the children unattended while she and her partner, Matthew McAuliffe, went to steal a car door. It is further alleged the pair heard a smoke alarm and a child screaming shortly after driving away but did not return to the property for up to 30 minutes.
Court no-show leads to arrest warrant
Lee was released on bail in September 2024, despite prosecution objections that she posed a risk to community safety, had previously contravened bail, and had avoided police.
She was scheduled to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday, but failed to attend. Her defence lawyer, Nisha Patel, informed the court she had been unable to contact her client recently, though they had spoken last week about the court date.
The prosecution applied for an arrest warrant, telling the court Lee had not been complying with several bail conditions. This included failing to report to police since December 22.
Magistrate Kieran Gilligan stated that "given the serious nature of the charges" he needed to issue the warrant. He added, "If she was wanting to hand herself in, she could have handed herself into any police station."
Following the warrant's issuance, Lee's bail was forfeited and the matter was adjourned to a date to be fixed. Prosecutors also indicated several new charges relating to breaches of bail conditions would be filed against her.
Outcome for co-accused
Lee's co-accused, Matthew McAuliffe, was also charged with negligent manslaughter in September last year. However, the case against him was discontinued in November 2024 after he died while on bail.
Victoria Police continue their search for Shania Lee and urge anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact them.
