Just two weeks ago, Charlie — dressed in a baby pink tracksuit and wide-brimmed hat — posed for a photo outside her childhood home, leaning forward with her eyes closed.
It was the last photo of the six-year-old ever taken before the little girl was found in the early hours of the morning at her family’s home in Munno Para, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
Her tragic death – which is officially registered as malnutrition – sparked a major crime investigation by the police and has resulted in her five siblings being placed under state care while their mother is under investigation for criminal neglect.
Now, sources have told The Advertiser that Charlie had been diagnosed with celiac disease, a serious immune disorder in which the digestive system reacts to gluten.
Pictured: Charlie’s last known photo taken two weeks ago
The reaction causes damage to the small intestine that can hinder the absorption of some nutrients, leading to deficiencies.
Neighbors say Charlie’s mother is “distraught” over the death of her youngest child.
“She saw her child die… any mother who went through something like that would be traumatized and scared and confused and just heartbroken that her child, her baby she carried for nine months, is gone,” one said on Wednesday.
It comes after Tuesday’s revelations that authorities have allowed Charlie to stay at home despite being exposed to substance abuse and domestic violence.
Court documents show that the family was already known to at least three government agencies, including the Department of Child Protection.
Last January, Charlie and her siblings saw their “drug-fed” father stab their mother multiple times — including in the neck — at their home.
But despite the children who witnessed the horrific attack — and their father’s history of domestic violence and drug use — authorities have not removed them.
Neighbors say Charlie’s mother (pictured) is ‘distraught’ over her daughter’s death
Charlie (pictured) was taken to Lyell McEwin Hospital in the early hours of Friday morning in north Adelaide
Neighbors claim they contacted the department eight times over a three-week period leading up to Charlie’s death, with the agency reportedly holding more than 500 case notes related to the little girl.
They believe the department was responsible for Charlie’s death because he took no action.
“It wasn’t her (Charlie’s mom), it was the state that failed,” said one.
“We don’t blame her for what happened to Charlie…she needed help and DCP (Department for Child Protection) did nothing to support her in the way she needed help.”
Outside the house on Tuesday, Charlie’s aunt – dressed in a pink hoodie with a slogan that reads ‘but did you die? #mumlife’ – lashed out at the media when asked how the six-year-old’s mother was feeling.
Charlie (pictured) died on the floor of her mother’s house in an alleged case of criminal neglect
Charlie’s aunt arrived that afternoon, wearing a pink hoodie with the slogan, “But did you die? #mumlife (photo, left)
‘How do you think she feels? Her daughter just died in her arms! Of course she’s upset.’
A neighbor, Bec, told Daily Mail Australia that the girl’s mother had sounded the alarm late at night, prompting her to do everything in her power to save Charlie’s life.
“It was about 1 am and we were about to go to sleep, and we heard a banging on the door. Charlie’s mother yelled ‘Charlie isn’t breathing!’ so we ran over there.
“She was lying on the floor in a diaper and she was paper white… and when I touched her she was stone cold and her eyes were open and fixed on the ceiling.
“We did everything we could to keep Charlie breathing.”
Paramedics arrived shortly after and spent half an hour working on Charlie, but the six-year-old was pronounced dead at the hospital.
When asked about the cause of death, Bec said she didn’t know if she had choked or if there were health problems that no one knew about.
She noted, however, that no one had seen Charlie for the last few weeks of her life because she was suffering from a mysterious illness.
The house Charlie died in was surrounded by junk – old toys, a tent, bicycles and a disused freezer
The cause of death is still unknown, but a neighbor said Charlie had something in her throat when she died (family home, photo)
She also said that the girl and her siblings never looked healthy. They often had head lice, which Bec did her best with.
“After a while, she came less and less and then she wasn’t allowed to come and play with my two-year-old daughter, and she wasn’t allowed to leave the house,” Bec said.
Bec remembered Charlie as a “beautiful” girl who was shy, but always smiling and carrying a pink teddy bear.
A year and a half ago, police were also called to the home after Charlie’s father assaulted her mother, his 18-year-old partner, during a fight while he was under the influence of methylamphetamine.
At a sentencing hearing in February, the court learned that he had been a habitual user of the drug for years and, after stopping for a while, relapsed the night of the attack.
The fight started in the bedroom before moving to the front yard, where the mother was stabbed three times.
“It (the attack) took place in front of the house and was attended by at least one civilian, who had to pull the accused away from the victim not once, but twice,” a prosecutor told the court.
Pictured: The front of the house where Charlie died, with a single swing to the front
Debris, including an old mattress, bedding and unused rabbit hutch, was seen scattered around the yard of the house on Tuesday.
“If he hadn’t moved away, there would have been far more serious consequences.”
The prosecutor told the court that despite the stabbing, the mother wanted to return to her partner.
“I think it’s fair to say that the victim probably doesn’t understand how to maintain her own safety,” the prosecutor said.
“I can tell you that the Ministry of Child Protection has an interest in this case and certainly if the defendant returns to that house, I would expect the Ministry to get involved again.”
The father was initially charged with attempted murder before being found guilty of the degraded felony of causing harm with intent.
He was sentenced in March this year to five years and six months in prison with a non-parole period of three years and six months.
Investigators will now investigate what other interactions they had with the family in the years leading up to Charlie’s death.
SA Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams said the six-year-old’s living conditions were “poor” and said it was too early to determine whether her death could have been prevented.
The grass was overgrown and the garden was littered with children’s toys and various items
She couldn’t confirm when Charlie was last seen or even went to school.
A special task force has been formed to investigate her death and the circumstances behind it.
Task Force Prime will investigate possible neglect charges related to her five siblings who live in the same house.
Acting Prime Minister Susan Close said a government inquiry would examine interactions between Charlie’s family and the state’s human services, child protection, education and housing.
The chief executive of the ministry of prime minister and cabinet will determine which services were engaged, how they collaborated, how effective they were and what changes may be needed.
Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard said these were “absolutely tragic and heartbreaking circumstances” and expressed her condolences to Charlie’s family.