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Girl, six, who died after being found inside Adelaide ‘house of horrors’ pictured for first time

Girl, six, who died after being found inside Adelaide 'house of horrors' pictured for first time 2

First picture of little Charlie, six, who died after living in alleged ‘house of horror’ – as disturbing details emerge about family’s fast food diet and ‘poor’ living conditions

  • Charlie, six, died from suspected malnutrition at Adelaide home on Friday 
  • First photo has emerged of little girl who died as an alleged victim of neglect 
  • Five other siblings, aged between seven and 16 have been removed from home  
  • Her death will be investigated as a case of criminal neglect causing death
  • Do you know more? Email [email protected] 
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The first photo has emerged of the six-year-old girl who died as an alleged victim of criminal neglect – little Charlie smiling sweetly at the camera, her hair neatly brushed.

South Australian Police on Tuesday launched a ‘major crimes’ investigation into Charlie’s death after she was found unresponsive at her home north of Adelaide on Friday. 

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The six-year-old girl was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital by paramedics where she died soon after arriving. 

An investigation will be launched into the interaction Charlie’s family had with government agencies in the lead-up to her death.  

The first photo has emerged of the six-year-old girl who died as an alleged victim of criminal neglect - little Charlie smiling sweetly at the camera, her hair neatly brushed

The first photo has emerged of the six-year-old girl who died as an alleged victim of criminal neglect – little Charlie smiling sweetly at the camera, her hair neatly brushed

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SA Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams said post-mortem results indicated ‘concerns’ about the state of Charlie’s health and wellbeing. 

Ms Williams described the six-year-old’s living conditions as ‘poor’ and said it was too early to determine if her death could have been preventable. 

‘We’ll be looking at what interaction the family had with agencies, both government and non-government,’ she told reporters on Tuesday. 

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‘But it will take us a period of time to get all that information together.’

The commissioner confirmed that SA Police and other government agencies had interacted with the family at least in the last couple of years. 

She could not confirm the last time Charlie had been seen or attended school.  

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Her death is being investigated as a case of criminal neglect causing death which carries a maximum term of life imprisonment. 

A six-year-old has died from suspected malnutrition and her siblings have been removed from her Adelaide 'house of horrors'. Charlie was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital (pictured) by paramedics on Friday

A six-year-old has died from suspected malnutrition and her siblings have been removed from her Adelaide ‘house of horrors’. Charlie was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital (pictured) by paramedics on Friday

Police have declared it a major crime and Taskforce Prime has been formed. 

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The task force will investigate criminal neglect charges relating to five other children aged between seven and 16 who lived at the same house.

The five siblings, aged 8, 10, 13, 14 and 15, have been removed from the home and are in the custody of the Department for Child Protection.

The children were reportedly living with their mother while their father is behind bars on domestic violence related offences. 

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In 2008 three adults were jailed for staving and beating five children at a home in Parafield Gardens, in Adelaide’s north.

Their shocking abuse was only uncovered when a child was sent to hospital with a head injury and hypothermia. 

Commissioner Williams said she could ‘understand’ how people could compare Charlie’s death with the ‘house of horrors’. 

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‘This is extremely serious. The death of any person is tragic but the death of a young child, a six-year-old girl, obviously causes grave concern for everybody,’ she said. 

Police are investigating whether Charlie's five siblings were also neglected (stock image)

Police are investigating whether Charlie’s five siblings were also neglected (stock image)

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