‘Murder-suicide’ father was stopped by police and breathalysed before deaths

The man found dead alongside his baby boy in a car on the Sunshine Coast was stopped by police and breathalysed just days before their bodies were found, it has been confirmed.

The 46-year-old man was discovered with his six-month-old son on Wednesday in a car at the Roys Road camping ground at Coochin Creek.

Now, speaking in a press conference, Assistant Commissioner Sharon Cowden from the QPS Ethical Standards Command has confirmed the man was stopped by officers on Sunday – the same day that police were first contacted by the baby’s mother – and issued with a speeding ticket as well as undergoing a breath test.

Reports overnight claimed a police officer used his discretion to deal with the matter and it was today confirmed that the deceased man was not taken to a police station and no further punishment was issued. When quizzed by reporters over claims he was found to be over the limit, Cowden refused to confirm what his blood alcohol level was.

Cowden confirmed she visited the mother of the baby on Friday ahead of the press conference and, when asked by a reporter if the mother knew about the police interception at that time, she replied: “It was my intention to be upfront and speak to the media today but unfortunately the mother heard about it from the media.

“I still went and spoke to the mother today and that’s why the media conference was set for lunch time today. It was still an important thing to let the mother know that I have a dedicated team who will investigate this matter fully.”

Addressing how the mother is coping following the tragedy, she added: “She is holding up as you could only imagine a mother who’s lost her child could, my sympathies go out to her and it is difficult for everyone.”

Meanwhile, reporters quizzed Cowden on how the officer who stopped the father is coping after hearing the news, and she admitted he is “traumatised”.

“That officer is, I’m told, struggling a little bit as you would expect,” she added. “As I said, these sorts of jobs impact all of us – the community and [the officers]. I have had the opportunity to speak to the mother of the young boy and we’re all impacted. And this officer is impacted. I ask that we don’t pre-judge anything.”

“I don’t want you, or members of the public, to make a decision about this case,” she went on. “He is quite traumatised by this and it’s important that we understand exactly what has happened and don’t jump to conclusions.”

Detectives from her own unit will now investigate the entire police investigation, as well as the interception of the father’s car and the subsequent breath test, before informing a coroner.

“It’s important that we undertake this independently and take an opportunity to reflect on what happened. It’s early days and one of the important things is to understand [that] this is in a coronial context,” she explained.

Cowden went on to confirm that an amber alert was not issued at any point after the mother first contacted police, adding that it is not always appropriate and could potentially be “dangerous” depending upon the circumstances.

“That decision, and all the decisions in relation to this matter will be investigated in the fullness of time,” she said.

She went on: “We need to look at the systems, the processes, the warnings… so we can understand what happened and reflect on that as a whole.”

According to the Queensland Police website, an Amber Alert is a process that involves the urgent broadcast of relevant information through the media, and other means, to facilitate the search for, location and the safe recovery of an abducted child or high risk missing child.

Support is now being offered to the family, as well as the police officers involved and the paramedics who attended the scene, as Cowden explained: “Particularly with the death of a young one like this, [it] affects all of us. The circumstances are tragic and it’s not something anyone wants to be exposed to or have to deal with.”

She told reporters: “I express my deepest sympathies for the families of the people involved and I ask that we take a minute to consider and spare a thought for the police and first responders involved this kind of matter.”

Asked for specific details about the breath test, Cowden simply said: “I can tell you that a breath test was done, but that’s all I can comment on at this time. We intercepted the man, we did a breath test and he was issued with a speeding ticket.”

Read more: Family of ‘beautiful’ baby found dead in apparent murder-suicide speak out

It was also claimed overnight by Nine News that the father of the baby gave police officers a “sob story” when he was pulled over, which may have in some way impacted the punishments given to him.

Asked about the claims, Cowden refused to comment beyond stating that officers are at liberty to use their own discretion in some circumstances – and this one in particular will be investigated further by detectives.

It’s unclear if the baby was with the father at the time he was pulled over, and Cowden simply added: “At this time I don’t have any indications that the child was with the man at the time. But I can’t understand the full circumstances at this time. The child, as far as I’m aware, was not there at the time.”

She said she now hopes the independent investigation will answer that question and added: “If there is anything that we can do better, we want to do better.”

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