BRISBANE, Australia — An Australian coroner was moved to tears Thursday after hearing testimony from the older sister of an 8-year-old girl who died after her parents refused her insulin for religious reasons.
Elizabeth Struhs died of ketoacidosis poisoning in 2022 after her father, Jason Struhs, denied her insulin for her type 1 diabetes.
Elizabeth’s parents, her brother and 11 other members of a religious group that rejects modern medicine were convicted last year of Elizabeth’s manslaughter. The 14 members of the congregation, who called themselves the “Saints,” gathered around her to pray as she lay dying.
Elizabeth’s sister Jayde Struhs made an emotional statement on Thursday, the final day of an eight-day Brisbane Coroner’s Court inquest into the death. Jayde fled the family in 2014, aged 16, after rejecting their religious views. She spoke of a sister who was never allowed the experiences that ordinary people enjoy.
“Having Elizabeth in our lives is something we would have loved,” Jayde said. “She would have had everyone helping her manage her diabetes, her health and her learning. She would have learned about Christmas and the joy of being spoiled.”
In tears, Coroner Ainslie Kirkegaard thanked Jayde for her memories.
“I think everyone will agree that what you did this morning is perhaps the hardest job of anyone in this room in the last two weeks,” Kirkegaard told Jayde. “This is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the fact that Elizabeth was and remains infinitely more than the events that brought us here.”
Kirkegaard will make recommendations to the state government to prevent similar deaths. The date of its conclusions has not yet been set.
Elizabeth’s mother, Kerrie Struhs, was jailed in 2019 for child neglect after Elizabeth’s undiagnosed diabetes left her close to death.
After her release from prison in December 2021, the mother told police, parole officers and social workers that she remained confident that God would heal her child without medical help.
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