8-year-old girl with diabetes dies after parents decided to 'pray for her' instead of giving insulin
Warning: This article contains descriptions which some readers may find distressing.
An eight-year-old girl's parents alongside 12 others have been convicted of manslaughter after she was denied her diabetes medication and passed away.
In January 7, 2022, Elizabeth Struhs passed away at home in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, Australia after suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis.
On Wednesday (January 27, 2024), it was ruled the young child's parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, and members of the religious group they were a part of - called 'The Saints' - 'deprived' her of the 'one thing that would most definitely have kept her alive'.
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It's reported by the BBC that Elizabeth was diagnosed with type one diabetes in 2019 after being admitted to hospital in a diabetic coma. Her family was told at the time about her diagnosis and informed she would need daily insulin injections.
However, in 2022, when Elizabeth started showing signs of high blood sugar, instead of administering the insulin, her parents and other members of their religious group chose to pray and sing for her instead of giving her the hormone, The New York Times says - with the eight-year-old going six days without her prescribed insulin shots.
During a trial which began last July and lasted several months, prosecutors called on 60 witnesses and revealed Elizabeth experienced high blood sugar which led to diabetic ketoacidosis and subsequently her death.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is 'a serious complication of diabetes' which 'develops when the body can't produce enough insulin,' Mayo Clinic explains.
"Insulin plays a key role in helping sugar - a major source of energy for muscles and other tissues - enter cells in the body," it adds.
During the trial, prosecutors recounted descriptions of Elizabeth during her final days, where the young child was described as vomiting, experiencing extreme tiredness, 'speaking little, needing help going to the toilet and being incontinent' alongside even losing consciousness.
When Elizabeth passed, the court heard the religious group believed she would be resurrected which is allegedly why authorities weren't contacted until 36 hours after she'd died.
Elizabeth's father said that she and him had agreed to 'stop the insulin together', and that he still believed his daughter would be resurrected, telling the court: "To all of you, it looks like God has failed. But I know Elizabeth is only sleeping and I will see her again. Because God has promised, and she is healed."
Fourteen members of the religious group - including Elizabeth's mom and dad - were found guilty of manslaughter, and all had pleaded not guilty.
Justice Martin Burns said: "It cannot be doubted that Elizabeth was lovingly cared for in almost every way. However, due to a singular belief in the healing power of God [...] she was deprived of the one thing that would most definitely have kept her alive."
The 14 defendants are currently set to be sentenced next month, and if convicted, they could each face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
A GoFundMe has since been started by Elizabeth's sister to support the rest of her siblings.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Topics: Health, Australia, Parenting, Crime, True crime
Poppy Bilderbeck