Child victims of tragic Kingaroy crash allegedly known to child services

The nation is still reeling from the tragic deaths of Charmaine Harris McLeod and her four children, Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4, and Zaidok, 2, who were killed on the Bunya Highway near Kingaroy in Queensland last week.

The 35-year-old single mother was driving a Nissan station wagon last Monday night when it overtook a vehicle before hitting an oncoming truck and bursting into flames.

Ms McLeod and three of her children died at the scene, while one daughter who survived the initial impact died en route to hospital.

Charmaine and James McLeod, pictured after the birth of Aaleyn Faith. Picture: Alistair Brightman/Fraser Coast ChronicleSource:News Corp Australia

While the crash initially appeared to be a tragic accident, it is believed authorities are now treating it as a possible murder-suicide.

Forensic investigators have reportedly failed to find any brake marks at the scene, which could indicate Ms McLeod did not attempt to stop the car.

And The Courier Mailalso reports a note was allegedly found near the site which was reportedly written by the young mother.

Ms McLeod spoke of her struggles on social media. Picture: FacebookSource:Facebook

Now, it appears Ms McLeod herself revealed child services had been involved with the family for several months.

According to The Courier Mail, Ms McLeod posted on Facebook that her children had been investigated by the Department of Child Safety since December 2018.

In one post written by the mother of four that month, Ms McLeod claimed she had “significant mental health issues” and that “now Child Safety are involved”, The Courier-Mail reports.

“We feel alone and lost,” she wrote.

“Life is hard, really hard … I’m struggling to even trust God.”

One of Ms McLeod’s Facebook profile pictures also hints at her struggles.

In it, a photograph of herself sits alongside the words: “God gave you a heart of gold. You are a very sensitive person. It’s not that easy being you! You carry a lot of responsibility and play an essential role in other people’s lives, but you are strong and can bear the burden on your shoulders. Never forget how valuable you are!”

Ms McLeod had also criticised her church, the Bayside Christian Church in Hervey Bay, in an emotional Facebook page weeks before her death.

The post stated she wouldn’t recommend the Church to anyone, and had honestly “tried to fit in” there for 17 years.

“I feel (that) if you can’t, or don’t grasp God/healing etc. when they think you should have, then you just get left behind,” she wrote.

She also claimed she had been a victim of domestic violence in the past and had been left “with nothing and 4 children”.

“You would think there would be support/help, but very very little,” Ms McLeod wrote.

“They (the Church) were always too busy.”

There is no suggestion that the domestic violence was perpetrated by Mr McLeod.

The Sunday Mail has also revealed the deaths of the four children will now be investigated by the independent Child Death Case Review Panel as part of a “two-tiered” review process which is launched following the death or serious injury of a child known to the department within 12 months.

James McLeod, pictured with his kids, has questioned why his family were on the highway on the night of the crash. Picture: FacebookSource:News Corp Australia

However, the Queensland state government has so far refused to confirm whether the children were known to the department, prompting Opposition Leader Tim Mander to call for greater transparency.

“The Palaszczuk government needs to be transparent and open about this case so Queenslanders can have comfort that our vulnerable children are being protected,” he said, according to the ABC.

“(It) needs to tell us what they knew, when they knew it, and what they tried to do to protect these young children.

“It’s absolutely tragic that somebody could get themselves in that situation where it seems they may have taken their own life and the lives of their four children.

“But it’s also concerning the reports that this family was known to child protection agencies.”

Child Safety Minister Di Farmer said she was prevented from commenting on individual cases by the Child Protection Act 1999, and insisted the investigation was the responsibility of police and the Coroner.

The family were killed on a Queenslad highway last week. Picture: Sky News AustraliaSource:SKY

“I know everyone wants answers and so do I but we need this to be done properly and we need to allow police and the Coroner the time and space to do their job,” she said.

Last week, police commissioner Ian Stewart told reporters the crash was “absolutely” being investigated as a homicide.

The children’s father, James McLeod, has also questioned why the family were in the area where the crash occurred at the time of their deaths, as they had no relatives or friends in the region.

The deaths of (from left) Wyatt, Ally, Zaidok and Matilda McLeod have shocked the nation. Picture: SuppliedSource:News Corp Australia

On Friday, Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said the family’s deaths had not yet been added to the state’s official road toll as the circumstances of the crash were not yet known.

TRIBUTES FLOW

Meanwhile, many people who knew Ms McLeod have paid tribute to the young woman.

Jennie Linton, a program manager at one of the country’s most successful youth intervention programs, Youth Insearch, told news.com.au Ms McLeod went through the program herself as a young person and had been “giving back ever since”.

Ms Linton said Ms McLeod was an “amazing woman” who had been “giving her time freely to help young people at risk”.

“She has made a difference to so many young lives,” she said.

“She volunteered both in her community and at weekend workshops.”

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