Elizabeth Struhs death: Court told mum Kerrie Struhs put critically unwell child in nappies at school

A mother accused of withholding her daughter’s insulin medication – resulting in her death – told police she put her daughter in nappies at school when she became critically unwell years before her death. Kerrie Elizabeth Struhs is one of 14 members of a close-knit religious circle on trial at Brisbane Supreme Court over the death of Elizabeth Struhs, 8, in January 2022. Years before she died, the child became critically unwell from diabetic ketoacidosis and was rushed to hospital by her father, Jason Richard Struhs. Police interviews in the days following Elizabeth’s hospitalisation captured interactions with Ms Struhs, who revealed she put her child in nappies at school as a result of her becoming incontinent and fatigued from her then-undiagnosed condition. “Firstly I didn’t see it as (that) badly, really,” Ms Struhs is heard saying on the recorded interview. “And as I said, I trust God, entirely.” The Crown contends Elizabeth died between January 6-7, 2022 as a result of her insulin being withdrawn by her parents and 12 other members of a faith-healing religious group known as The Saints. Jason Struhs, 57, and 62-year-old Brendan Luke Stevens – the leader of a faith-healing religious group known as The Saints – are both charged with her murder. Kerrie Struhs, 49, and Elizabeth’s elder brother Zachary Alan Struhs, 21, are facing charges of manslaughter. Loretta Mary Stevens, 67 – the wife of Brendan Stevens – and their adult children Acacia Naree Stevens, 31, Therese Maria Stevens, 37, Sebastian James Stevens, 23, Andrea Louise Stevens, 34, Camellia Claire Stevens, 28, and Alexander Francis Stevens, 26, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, 34 and his wife Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, 26, and a third woman, Keita Courtney Martin, 22, are also charged with manslaughter. All defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. In 2019, Elizabeth was flown to Brisbane Children’s Hospital after becoming critically unwell from her condition, which was yet to be diagnosed. On Tuesday, a recorded interview police captured with Kerrie on July 18, 2019, was played to the court. Kerrie is heard telling officers about her belief in God and how she trusted “God had his hand on her (Elizabeth)”. In the recording, she said she noticed her daughter eating and drinking more and using the toilet more frequently in the days before she became “lethargic”. “She was wetting herself at school,” Kerrie told officers. “She was scared to tell the teacher she needed to go to the toilet.” Asked what she had done to address the situation, Kerrie told police that she put her daughter in nappies while she was at school. She said she didn’t think about going to the doctor at any time and looked after Elizabeth by giving her “love, cuddles, food and drink”. Earlier in the day, one of the doctors who treated Elizabeth when she was flown to Brisbane Children’s Hospital in 2019 gave evidence the child weighed only 13kg upon presentation. Associate Professor Louise Conwell said Elizabeth’s bones were close to the surface of her skin and she required intubation to breathe, Brisbane Supreme Court was told. “She was the most seriously unwell child I had seen in my 20 years of working at this complex,” Professor Conwell said. She said the child would have died if not for the medical treatment she received in Brisbane. Professor Conwell gave evidence that she asked Jason Struhs why he did not immediately take his child to hospital when he noticed she was becoming sick. Jason is alleged to have said his wife Kerrie held “strong faith beliefs’ and did not believe in medical care or treatment. The court was told both parents were spoken to about the importance of Elizabeth receiving her insulin. Kerrie – who spoke with Professor Conwell on the phone – said she didn’t believe her daughter would need any of the medical care being described. Under cross-examination by Camellia Stevens, Professor Conwell was asked if it was fair to say Elizabeth’s recovery was “miraculous”. “It was very fortunate, she had very excellent treatment from the moment she was taken from Toowoomba,” Professor Conwell answered. “She was minutes from death when she arrived.” Elizabeth, a diabetic, died between January 6 and 7 in 2022 at her family’s Rangeville home. Jayde Struhs, Elizabeth’ older sister, on Monday told the court her father attempted to monitor and administer his daughter Elizabeth’s medication following the 2019 incident. They last spoke in October 2021 – around the time her mother Kerrie Struhs was serving a jail term for failing to supply Elizabeth with the necessaries of life. NED-12455-Struhs-factbox Jayde said her father said he would take “full responsibility” of providing insulin to Elizabeth “knowing he would get no help”. “He wanted to change a lot of things when he got home … because we nearly lost her,” Jayde said of her father. “He wanted to protect Elizabeth from this.” Jayde said her father described how he wanted to “be around more” and part of the family while moving away from Kerrie and The Saints’ beliefs. Jayde she left the faith-healing circle in 2014 over conflicts about her sexuality. She said her father never told her he had joined them. The trial continues.