Elizabeth Struhs inquest hears what her mother told a corrections officer before her death
A Queensland corrections officer described a December 2021 risk assessment with Kerrie Struhs and explained why Child Safety was not contacted before Elizabeth died.
An inquest in Brisbane into the death of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs heard on 19 October 2026 that her mother told a Queensland corrections officer she trusted God to heal her daughter during a risk assessment weeks before Elizabeth died. The officer also explained why corrections staff did not contact Child Safety, ABC News reported.
The officer, whose identity is protected by a non-publication order, met Kerrie Struhs on 16 December 2021 for an Immediate Risk Assessment, according to ABC News. Kerrie had served a prison sentence for child neglect after Elizabeth was admitted to hospital in a coma with advanced diabetic ketoacidosis in 2019 and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
What Kerrie Struhs said about faith and insulin
Asked about the earlier medical emergency, Kerrie said she did not believe Elizabeth would have died without hospital treatment and would ‘keep that trust in God that He would heal’ her, ABC News reported. She also told the officer she would not interfere with Elizabeth’s father, Jason Struhs, giving their daughter insulin despite her religious beliefs.
The officer said Kerrie appeared uncomfortable when told mandatory counselling sessions could be part of her probation conditions. Contacting Jason to verify Kerrie’s account of Elizabeth’s insulin treatment would not have been standard practice, the officer testified, according to ABC News.
Why corrections staff did not contact Child Safety
Queensland Corrections did not engage Child Safety between December 2021 and January 2022 because its concerns were below the threshold for believing a child was at risk of harm, the officer told the inquest, according to ABC News. She said she did not know whether she would have approached the case differently and that staff had more information and greater engagement with child safety services than they had in 2021.
ABC News reported that Jason later stopped giving Elizabeth insulin and that she died at the family’s Toowoomba home in January 2022. The officer’s evidence is testimony for Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard to assess as the inquest examines how agencies responded before Elizabeth’s death.
Earlier in the inquest, doctors who treated Elizabeth recommended an involuntary mental health assessment of Kerrie, The Guardian reported. That testimony concerned a separate agency response before Elizabeth’s death; it adds context to the questions now being asked about the corrections assessment.
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Sources and context
- Elizabeth Struhs's mother trusted God would 'heal' 8yo, inquest hearsABC News
- Doctors treating Elizabeth Struhs recommended involuntary mental health assessment of her mother, coroner hearsThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.