A mother of two accused of murdering her three-year-old daughter had previously described the little girl as her ‘divine baby’.
Emergency services rushed to Moore Park Beach, on the outskirts of Bundaberg, central Queensland, at 4.45pm on Monday following ‘multiple’ reports from concerned neighbours.
A three-year-old girl was found unresponsive at the Regency Road home and declared dead at the scene.
Police arrested 32-year-old Lauren Ingrid Flanigan and on Tuesday charged her with murdering her daughter Sophia.
Two other children were also home at the time but unharmed. They are now in the care of others.
A man who lived at the residence had been working away from the home when the incident unfolded.
He returned home after being notified by police of the tragedy.
A man’s screams of horror were heard across the normally quiet beachside suburb, as more than 30 neighbours watched on, some of them in tears.
A clearly distressed man was seen on his hands and knees in despair as other shocked neighbours comforted each other.
It’s understood Flanigan was a member of the Alive Church in Bundaberg and would often share posts about her faith to her social media accounts.
‘Faith. Family. Future. Fitness. Built for wealth. Wired for freedom. Digital Systems. Elite Strategy. No Excuses,’ her account profile reads.
In many of her posts, Flanigan wrote about ‘rising up’ and remembering ‘who you are’ as she battled against ‘the system’.
‘You are a WARRIOR OF LIGHT. Train like it’s war — because it is. God is calling His army out of hiding. This is kingdom rising,’ Flanigan’s most recent post read.
‘We move. We build. We burn with holy fire. No more delays. No more compromise. Tag your generals. It’s time to RISE.’
In September last year, Flanigan shared pictures of Sophia in a pink princess dress to Instagram with the caption ‘my divine babies’.
In another post, the mother-of-two explained her life would be fulfilled not by creating time to spend with her babies and not having a successful career.
‘I realised the most valuable thing I could create was time,’ Flanigan wrote.
‘Time to watch my babies grow. Time to breathe. Time to live. Time to love. We weren’t created to just work, pay bills, and survive the week.
‘We were made to create memories together, lasting legacy, joy, freedom and smiles.
‘I have given my life to serve. I have a beautiful little family who remind me of love daily. A community that uplifts me, a church that grounds me.
Yes, there are challenges. Yes, there are areas that still need refining. But I wake up every day with breath in my lungs and fire in my spirit.’
In 2021, Flanigan shared pictures of her growing baby bump while pregnant with her daughter Sophia.
Flanigan was not required to appear in person at Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Her legal representative made no application for bail and the case was adjourned to the Bundaberg court until July 21.
Police are preparing a brief of evidence which will be presented to the court at a later date.
Chief Inspector Grant Marcus said the investigation was in its ‘very early days’ and described the incident as a ‘really tragic evening’.
‘We’re trying to now process this whole scene to determine what on earth has happened,’ Chief Inspector Marcus told reporters.
‘This is a really tragic evening. There’s a lot of processing to be done.
‘We’re talking to neighbours, we’re going through the scene.’
Anyone with more information is urged to contact Policelink or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.