5-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Being Restrained with Duct Tape in Sleeping Bag

Police lights (stock image)Credit: GettyOfficials are questioning the boy’s parents, but no arrests have been made

Police in Australia are investigating the death of a 5-year-old boy, who was found dead inside his home

Local outlets reported that the boy and at least one of his siblings were found duct-taped into sleeping bags

Officials are questioning the boy’s parents in the case, but no arrests have been made

A 5-year-old boy was found dead inside his home, where police discovered him and at least one of his siblings restrained in sleeping bags with duct tape.

New South Wales Police said in a statement that emergency personnel were first called to the home in Grafton, located in the coastal Northern Rivers region, at around 6:40 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, for a report of an unresponsive child.

Police officers and paramedics gave the boy CPR, but they were unable to revive him.

The Sydney Morning Heraldand ABC News Australia reported that police confirmed the boy, who had developmental difficulties, and at least one of his siblings had been duct-taped into sleeping bags to sleep at night.

An ambulance in Australia (stock image)Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty

Specialists were called in to conduct a forensic examination, and a coroner is set to conduct a post-mortem examination to investigate the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death.

ABC reported that the boy and his family had been on the radar of the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) before his death. The child’s parents are being questioned in his death, the outlet reported, but they have not been arrested.

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A DCJ spokesperson told ABC and 9News that the agency was working with police to assist with the investigation.

“The Department of Communities and Justice is aware of the tragic death of a young child in Grafton,” the spokesperson said. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to those who knew and loved this child.”

Police have formed a special unit, known as Strike Force Milona, to investigate the incident, and the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad also joined the investigation.

Police have asked anyone with information about this case to contact Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Source: Crime