An Australian mother has been charged with murdering her four-year-old son after police discovered what officers described as an "extremely confronting" scene inside a home on the New South Wales Central Coast.
The 32-year-old woman walked into Wyong Police Station on Saturday afternoon, prompting officers to conduct an immediate welfare check at a unit on Byron Street in Wyong. Inside, police discovered the body of her four-year-old son with significant injuries to one of his arms. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Superintendent Chad Gillies told reporters on Sunday that officers encountered an "extremely confronting scene" but declined to elaborate while the investigation remains ongoing.
According to Australian media reports citing police sources not authorized to speak publicly, investigators are examining an allegation that cannibalism may have played a role in the child's death, with reports she may have cooked and eaten the child's arm.
Authorities are also investigating whether the boy may have died days before the woman arrived at the police station, according to Nine News. A post-mortem examination is expected to determine the child's cause and time of death. The woman, who was previously known to police, has been charged with murder involving domestic violence. She appeared before court Sunday, did not apply for bail, and was remanded in custody until her next court appearance in September.
Police have established a crime scene and homicide detectives are leading the investigation. Investigators have seized the woman's vehicle and removed multiple items from the home for forensic examination. "Whenever a child is a victim of violent crime, and whenever a child is murdered, it strikes at the core of community," Gillies said. "We owe that little boy to make sure that we get the exact circumstances and present them to the court in due course."
Australian law prohibits the publication of the identities of child victims of crime and their immediate family members in cases of this nature.
