A 5-year-old boy was found dead in a sleeping bag secured with duct tape that also covered his eyes at a home in northern New South Wales, Australia.
Police arrived at the Grafton residence around 6:40 a.m. Monday after the child was discovered unresponsive, according to a New South Wales Police news release. Officers performed CPR until paramedics took over, but the boy could not be revived.
The child’s father and stepmother, who were both home at the time of death, allegedly told detectives the duct tape was intended to help the children sleep, the Sydney Morning Herald reported, citing police sources. The boy and his siblings had reportedly been routinely restrained in sleeping bags with the tape, which served the dual purpose of a blindfold during bedtime.
No arrests have been made in connection with the death. Specialist police conducted a forensic examination of the home, and a post-mortem examination will determine the official cause of death.
The family had been known to the Department of Communities and Justice for at least a year prior to the boy’s death, according to the Herald. Police believe the child lived with an intellectual impairment, and officers had previously been called to the same address 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 the Herald.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to those who knew and loved this child.”
National Party politician Richie Williamson, who represents the Clarence region where Grafton is located, publicly condemned both the death and the department’s prior knowledge of the household.
“It’s devastating, it’s sad, and it’s something that has upset many in the Clarence community,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Williamson said he was disturbed that authorities had “known about the family for sometime,” and demanded direct accountability from government officials.
“If DCJ knew about this family … and this unthinkable incident has happened, somebody needs to take responsibility,” he said.
“It is not OK to simply say: ‘We’ll have a review, we’ll hide behind a press release,'” Williamson slammed.
“The government, the minister must front up and explain to my community what has happened here, why it has happened and if she doesn’t, the minister should resign.”
Grafton sits approximately 400 miles north of Sydney in the Northern Rivers region. The town has been left reeling from what Williamson described as “traumatic news” unfolding in their midst.