Elizabeth Strus with her older sister, Jade. In Australia, twelve members of a religious community have been arrested over the death of an eight-year-old girl who did not receive timely medical attention.
Elizabeth Struss died on January 7 in a house south of Brisbane, presumably owned by the congregation. The girl had type 1 diabetes, but the investigation found that she had not received insulin injections for a full week before her death, despite her rapidly deteriorating condition.
Elizabeth’s parents – Jason and Kerry Struss – were soon convicted of murder, torture, and failure to provide the child with essential care shortly after her death. Now, a further 12 members of the community, aged between 19 and 64, who did not help the dying girl will be charged, according to a statement from the Queensland State Police.
According to the police, they all chose to pray for the child’s healing instead of calling for medical help, and they did not report the girl’s death to the authorities until the next day after the tragedy. “I have been a police officer for 40 years and I have never seen anything like this,” Detective Harry Watts told the Australian press. According to Watts, this has never happened in Queensland or Australia.
Elizabeth Stross’s parents belong to a small, closed religious community in the city of Toowoomba that is not affiliated with any of the traditional churches. In addition to Elizabeth, they have other children. According to their eldest daughter, Jade Strauss, family members who do not share her parents’ interests are shocked and deeply saddened by Elizabeth’s death. “We faced a harsh reality when the people who were supposed to protect her didn’t. And we may never know all that happened,” the girl said. She also stated that her parents were part of a cult based on fear, submission, and religious extremism.
12 arrested members of the congregation will appear in court on Wednesday. Jason and Kerri Struss will also have another court appearance in the second half of July, but it is unclear what specific charges they will face.