Horrific details of a helpless toddler who was allegedly left to die by her father in her cot continue to emerge.
Willow Dunn, 4, had Down syndrome and was left to die by her father, Mark James Dunn, 43.
Dunn allegedly told police he found his daughter dead on Saturday, but made no effort to seek medical help until Monday, where a call to emergency services was made.
Dunn has since been charged with Willow’s murder.
Police say that Willow was left in her cot even after her father discovered her body.
They are now probing whether she was starved to death and was being denied education.
Police allege that she had burns to her scalp as well as bone-deep infected sores on her hips.
Willow’s body was allegedly found in a back bedroom inside the rented home in Brisbane, where she lived with her father, stepmother and stepsister.
The stepmother and stepsister are not facing charges and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on their parts.
The Courier-Mail spoke to neighbours around the home, who had said that they had never seen Willow at the home.
Child Safety Minister Di Farmer did not answer questions about whether the family was known to the Department of Child Safety.
“The death of any child is a tragedy,” she said. “I know the death of this little girl has had a profound impact on our community and my deepest sympathies go to those who knew and loved this child.”
LNP shadow police minister Dan Purdie said that “serious questions need to be asked” about Willow’s case.
“The big question in such a horrific case of alleged neglect is how a vulnerable young child has slipped through the cracks and how this could have been prevented,” the former child protection cop said.
Photo credits: Daily Mail
