‘Literal hell': Mum calls for inquest after baby's mystery death
Six years later, Kayla Hehir has still not even received a death certificate for eight-month-old Talon.
There has been no coronial inquest held or any outcome to an ongoing homicide investigation.
After staying patient so long, Ms Hehir has decided to finally speak out to say she feels that 'no one cares' how the little girl came to be found unresponsive in their Melbourne home.
'I felt like I had to be quiet so justice can take its course,' she told news.com.au.
'But justice isn't taking its course at all.
'It's (the case) sitting there and it's just ridiculous.'
Do you know more? Email: heath.parkes-hupton@news.com.au
Ms Hehir said she had breastfed Talon overnight on June 20, 2019.
When she woke in the morning at their Frankston home, Ms Hehir knew something was wrong.
She came into the loungeroom and saw Talon on the lounge: 'She just didn't look right.
'I don't even know how to explain it. She just did not look right.
'And I picked her up and she wasn't right. It was like kind of limp, but stiff.
'And I started panicking. I started screaming.'
The girl was rushed to Monash Children's Hospital where doctors were unable to save Talon's life.
Ms Hehir described the shock of how that day unfolded and the devastating news doctors relayed to her: 'It happened so quick and so slow at the same time.
'And even when we were taking her off life support, for some stupid reason, I still thought she was going to be okay.'
Victoria Police have confirmed homicide detectives were still investigating the circumstances around Talon's death, which recently past its sixth anniversary.
Ms Hehir said she was in contact with police but there had largely been 'silence' from the authorities, robbing her and Talon's siblings of closure or justice.
'People don't realise that, they will say, 'oh, it was six years ago'. But it's every day,' Ms Hehir said.
'I see those moments all the time, like they just happened.
'We can't just keep sitting here like this, it's been a literal hell.'
She has now reached out to Sherele Moody, who runs the Australian Femicide Watch and the Red Heart Campaign, to petition authorities and state government ministers to push the case forward.
They are calling for a coroner to be appointed and for a reward to be offered for information about the case.
Ms Moody told news.com.au she did not understand how Talon's death was allowed to have 'flown under the radar' for so many years.
'Obviously, for a mum losing her baby, that is really one of the worst things that can happen to a human being,' she said.
Ms Moody's petition for an inquest and reward for information about Talon's death has gained more than 2500 signatures.
In a statement, Victoria Police said detectives from the Homicide Squad were investigating the death of a baby girl in Frankston in 2019.
'Emergency services were called to a residential property on 20 June after the eight-month-old was found unconscious.
'She was conveyed to hospital where she subsequently passed away.
'The circumstances surrounding the death are still to be determined and the investigation remains ongoing.'
Ms Hehir said that since going public she had been dealing with the pain of seeing pictures of her little girl popping up on social media – but she hoped it would be worth it.
'I'm feeling hopefully that maybe people will listen.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
31 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Outback Wrangler Matt Wright accuses pilot Sebastian Robinson's family of ‘manufacturing' charges
An Aussie reality television star has accused the loved ones of a catastrophic helicopter crash survivor of concocting the allegations against him. Outback Wrangler Matt Wright has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice following the chopper crash that killed his co-star Chris 'Willow' Wilson and critically injured pilot Sebastian Robinson on February 28, 2022. It is alleged Mr Wright knew this helicopter should never have taken off that fateful morning, as it had crossed a critical flight hour maintenance threshold. On Tuesday, the jury heard from Mr Robinson's brother, uncle and mother who all maintained they heard Mr Wright ask the recently comatose, paraplegic Mr Robinson to manipulate flight records. Noelene Chellingworth said her son's boss brought a colour coded spreadsheet, which she understood to be tracking flights by his multiple pilots, as well as A3 documents to a hospital visit on March 11. 'I didn't get the feeling that Matt was really concerned about Sebastian at all,' she said. Mr Robinson's brother, Zaccarie Chellingworth alleged Mr Wright asked his brother to 'take 15 to 20 hours off IDW', the crashed chopper, and put them on Sebastian's personal helicopter. He said Mr Wright said this was 'because there were hours unaccounted for'. Mr Chellingworth did not see Mr Wright holding his brother's phone, but his mother maintained Mr Wright went through the phone saying: 'you need to delete, delete, delete'. 'I said 'Why are you doing this?' and he sort of fobbed me off,' she said. 'He said he was just 'cleaning up stuff'.' Mr Wright's defence senior counsel David Edwardson suggested that because her son was 'miles behind' on his paperwork while operating under Mr Wright's air operator's certificate, he was simply 'helping your son get up to date on his paperwork'. Mr Edwardson accused Mr Robinson's family of completely fabricating the alleged request to 'move hours' around. Ms Chellingworth rejected Mr Edwardson's suggestion her family had 'manufactured' the charges because 'you didn't want the buck to fall on your son'. 'You've been, as a mother, trying to protect him, by pointing the finger at Matt Wright on matters that never happened?' Mr Edwardson asked. 'That is incorrect,' she replied. On Mr Wright's second hospital visit on March 12, Mr Robinson's uncle James 'Jim' Carew secretly recorded their conversations. 'I was just there to prevent Sebastian signing anything against his will or being coerced,' Mr Carew said. Mr Robinson's family all told the jury the injured pilot declined his boss's suggestion, with Mr Chellingworth saying Mr Wright replied 'it's OK if you don't want to do it, I'll find another way'. Mr Chellingworth, who is also a fixed wing aircraft engineer for CareFlight NT, helped take Australian Transport Safety Bureau and Civil Aviation Safety Authority investigators to the scene of the crash. He acknowledged he was aware the investigation had determined the 'engine was starved of fuel', and sent photos of the crash to his brother. Mr Edwardson said Mr Chellingworth knew his brother would be 'well and truly in the crosshairs' if it was found the helicopter was not fuelled up at the Mt Borradaile site, just 20 minutes from the wreckage. 'You relayed information from the authorities, and passing it on to your brother,' Mr Edwardson said. 'I do not know the ins and outs of rotary aircraft, I was only speculating (over the cause of the crash) — as was the whole of Darwin,' Mr Chellingworth replied. The jury has repeatedly heard the young pilot had trace amounts of cocaine in his system, allegedly from a party two nights before the crash. Mr Chellingworth said he was also aware of his younger brother's occasional cocaine use. Despite the jury hearing Mr Wright had a 'zero tolerance for cocaine', Mr Chellingworth said he had seen his brother use the drug once before in 2016. 'It was my buck's party on Matt Wright's boat,' he said. His mother, Ms Chellingworth, will continue giving evidence on Wednesday.
News.com.au
31 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Man takes own life outside Queensland childcare centre
A community is reeling after a man took his own life outside a Queensland childcare centre, where six children were awaiting pickup by their parents. Emergency services were called to a disturbance at Habitat Early Learning centre in Peregian Springs on the Sunshine Coast around 6pm on Monday. On arrival, police said they had located a 28-year-old man who had forced entry to the premises, was self-harming, and sustained serious injuries as a result. 'Officers attempted to negotiate with the man before taking him into custody,' a police spokesman said. 'The man became unresponsive soon after. 'Attending police rendered first aid before other emergency services arrived, however he was declared dead a short time later.' The man's death is currently being investigated by the Ethical Standards Command on behalf of the State Coroner, and could be looked into by the Crime and Corruption Commission. A spokesman for the childcare centre told the Courier Mail six children were inside the premises at the time, alongside five staff. 'The offender was unable to gain immediate access to the centre due to security measures including fingerprint scanners, and this allowed our staff the time to follow their safety protocols and hide everyone in a secure location,' they said. 'The offender was not known to any staff or our families. 'None of the children witnessed the offender after his initial attempts to enter the building.' Queensland Education minister John Paul Langbroek, when asked about the event at an unrelated press conference shortly after, declared it was 'a horrendous issue that I've only just been advised of'. 'I'm sure that for many of those students and teachers, it's a particularly traumatic experience they've gone through,' he said. 'I think those early childhood teachers and educators are heroes, and any counselling service that is needed will be provided, but the safety of our children is paramount.' For help, members of the public are encouraged to contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or at
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Suffered prolonged distress': Sickening footage of pigs mauled by dogs leads to $52k fines
WARNING: DISTRESSING A young couple from Western Australia have been fined more than $50,000 after filming pigs being mauled by dogs in scenes described as 'unnecessary and orchestrated'. On Tuesday, Riley Thomas Lang, 25, and Marie Ann Parker, 22, were sentenced in the Bunbury Magistrates Court in the state's southwest after being found guilty of four combined charges of promoting a prohibited activity. They were both found to have deliberately restrained and captured pigs to inflict harm and promoted the prohibited activity of releasing feral pigs purely so they could be hunted. Lang was also found to have mistreated the dogs by working them in a manner likely to cause harm. The couple posted videos of the activity online, promoting the illegal practice of releasing pigs to be hunted, chased and fought by dogs. The offences came to light after those recordings were brought to the attention of RSPCA WA in August 2022. In the sickening footage, pigs could be seen being attacked and tormented by a pack of up to five dogs, while the offenders encouraged the animals to lunge, bite and continue their assault for extended periods. During the disturbing attacks, the pair can occasionally be heard laughing in the background. Magistrate Joanne Andretich said during sentencing that lawful pig hunting is very different to hunting done in an inhumane way. 'The eradication of the pig was delayed for (the) gratification of its captors … it was deliberate, intentional and planned to ensure maximum impact for their audience,' Mr Andretich said. Lang was fined $33,300, with $10,000 suspended, while Parker received a $19,000 fine, with $10,000 suspended. Both have had their convictions spent. While pig hunting is not illegal in WA, RSPCA WA argued that the couple's actions breached the Animal Welfare Act 2002 and amounted to animal cruelty. RSPCA WA inspector Genna Haines described the cruelty captured in the videos as shocking. 'This was not a case against people legally hunting pigs as a form of pest control,' Inspector Haines said. 'This was about the illegal way the so-called hunting took place, where already trapped, injured and terrified pigs were held down while dogs were actively encouraged to continue to attack them. 'The pigs suffered prolonged distress while the offenders filmed content for social media, and in many instances the offenders can be heard laughing on the videos. Inspector Haines said none of those actions could be considered responsible pest-control hunting. 'How anyone can watch and listen to an animal suffering the way the pigs were in the video is beyond me,' she said. 'Any animal can experience pain, distress and harm and it is never OK to be cruel to an animal of any species. 'This was unnecessary and orchestrated animal cruelty for the purposes of social media.'
