The body of a 9-month-old girl was has been found on a Gold Coast beach overnight, mere metres from the main schoolies celebration area.
The body was found on the edge of the surf of Surfers Paradise Beach and was unable to be revived by emergency services.
Police attend the scene
Police have confirmed that homicide detectives are working on the case, alongside both QLD & NSW police.
“Clearly it (the body) had been in water, although I don’t know how long for,” Detective Inspector Marc Hogan told reporters today.
Mr Hogan revealed that a couple, a 48-year-old man and 23-year-old woman, were assisting police with their inquiries.
It is believed that the baby belonged to the couple.
The child had not been reported missing, and there were no signs of physical harm, although an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death.
Police will also comb through CCTV footage surrounding the Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise areas in order to understand how events played out.
Police confirmed that though the body was found only 750 meters away from the main celebrations, it was not a schoolies attendee that reported the body.
The beach and surrounding area were searched by officers, but these are no longer active crime scenes.
Schoolies kicked off on Saturday night with over 13,000 school leavers attending the event, with an expected 22,000 students set to visit Surfers Paradise over the next 3 weeks.
Watch Mr Hogan’s press conference here.
