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Tiahleigh Palmer’s devastated mum breaks silence, defends giving her up

May 28, 2018

Tiahleigh Palmer's mother Cyndi spoke out about her heartbreak. Source: Channel 9/60 Minutes.

Tiahleigh Palmer’s tragic death at the hands of her foster father shocked Australia, and now her biological mother has broken her silence to speak out about her heartbreak over losing the 12-year-old – and defended herself against critics.

The schoolgirl was found dead on the banks of a Gold Coast river in 2015, six days after she was first reported missing. Palmer was being fostered by the Thorburn family when she went missing in October 2015.

Her foster father Rick Thorburn was accused of killing Tiahleigh after allegedly learning that his son, Trent, had had sex with her and feared that the child was pregnant. He has since been sentenced to life behind bars after pleading guilty to her horrific murder.

Now, Tiahleigh’s mum Cyndi Palmer has opened up to 60 Minutes on her immense grief, and revealed for the first time what led her to give up her daughter to the family in the first place.

Cyndi revealed she’s been hit with heavy criticism following her daughter’s death, as some blame her for giving her up in the first place.

Cyndi’s burden is unbearable but instead of sympathy for her dreadful loss many continue to find fault with her as a mother, even though she has long proven her love for all her four children. #60Mins. pic.twitter.com/IJEPXTYh7V

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) May 27, 2018

“I didn’t murder my daughter,” Cyndi told reporter Tara Brown. “I did everything I could to try and get her back. I wanted our family to be whole again.”

She added: “People blamed me for her death… I try not to let it bother me. But I guess maybe it is a little bit of guilt because obviously I was meant to be a mother and I should have made better choices. But I didn’t murder my daughter.”

Tiahleigh Palmer tragically died at just 12-years-old. Source: Channel 9/ 60 Minutes.

Tiahleigh moved in with foster parents Rick and Julene Thornburn in January 2015, along with their sons Trent and Josh.

Asked why she chose to put her daughter in care, Cyndi explained: “I was suffering through a very severe domestic violence situation. I went to the department for health because I realised one day I was just going to die, and they’d be left there by themselves.

“At first I was so devastated being apart from her that I spiralled out of control, in to drugs and homelessness… I still firmly believe that the day I went to the department to ask for help, I made the right decision.

“It’s not what I wanted, it’s not the outcome any of us wanted, but I thought it was the safer option.”

It turned out it was far from it, as Tiahleigh was killed by her foster father, before the whole family attempted to cover it up.

The whole family covered up for Rick Thorburn. Source: Channel 9/60 Minutes.

“I fell to the ground crying because, I guess obviously it was my daughter and she was found washed up on a river,” Cyndi said of the moment she found out the devastating news. “What kind of animal leaves a little girl in a river? The pain I felt was so bad I couldn’t do anything but cry.”

Police had previously alleged that Thorburn murdered Palmer after discovering his then 19-year-old son had been sexually abusing her. They believed the father panicked and killed Palmer to keep her quiet to ensure his son wouldn’t be jailed for his crime.

Cyndi revealed she became suspicious from the first time she met Rick, as he bizarrely told her that he was in a gang when he was younger. From there, she noticed changes in her daughter too.

On the 5th November 2015 – six days after being reported missing to police – Tiahleigh’s body was found on the banks of the Pimpama River, south of Brisbane. Her body had been so badly decomposed, identification was difficult. #60Mins. pic.twitter.com/WjtPwRriSi

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) May 27, 2018

Speaking about her first concerns for her daughter, Cyndi said: “There was a time when her behaviour had changed towards Rick. She didn’t want to be left alone with Rick, she started misbehaving, running away. It wasn’t just that, it was the inappropriate clothes she started wearing, and dresses with padded bras in them.

“He’d taken her to get her eyebrows waxed and things like that.”

Asked if Tiahleigh ever spoke to her about it, Cyndi said: “She never got chance.”

There came another blow, as before he was charged, Thorburn carried the girl’s casket at her funeral – something Cyndi has since branded “disgusting”.

Rick Thorburn was committed to stand trial for Palmer’s death in July 2017 after a lengthy police investigation. After initially indicating that he would fight murder charges, he eventually pleaded guilty to her murder in March this year.