A mother accused of killing and eating parts of her four-year-old son was allegedly using gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a dangerous party drug also known as 'liquid ecstasy,' before the child's death. The 32-year-old woman, who cannot be named to protect the victim's identity, reportedly struggled with substance abuse from the age of 13.

She surrendered to Wyong Police Station on July 4, claiming she had consumed parts of her son. Officers subsequently found the boy's body with significant arm injuries at her community housing unit on Blake Street. The woman was arrested and charged with murder, and bail was formally refused the following day. She remains in custody.

It was previously reported that social services had concerns about the boy suffering neglect due to his mother's suspected drug-induced psychosis. A childhood friend of the woman told The Mail last week that she was expelled from her family home as a teenager due to alleged drug use. Relatives from her hometown of Gunnedah, in northwest NSW, also told The Mail that she had undergone a stint in rehabilitation, a fact known to social services.

Another relative has now told The Daily Mail that she was regularly smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol as a young teen, before progressing to pills and GHB as an adult. GHB is an addictive party drug that can induce feelings of euphoria, confidence, relaxation, and sociability, but long-term side effects include hallucinations, extreme anxiety, and memory problems.

The relative alleged that the mother had used 'uppers and downers' and was 'using GHB' when her son was killed. "She would have known the side effects and clearly chose not to stop using GHB, and chose to while her poor little boy was in her care," the relative stated. "Imagine what he would have seen and heard and felt, especially from the person he thought was his loving mother."

Last week, the woman's brother told The Mail that their father and an older half-brother had agonized over whether they "could have stepped in" to help her. He mentioned that they knew something was wrong when she quit her job at Coles recently. Former neighbors had also suspected she was "on drugs."

The Mail previously reported that the mother had been involved in domestic disputes with at least two immediate family members, dating back more than a decade. Her own mother had an apprehended violence order against her, as did another male relative. She also faced civil disputes with a community housing group in Tamworth and Transport for NSW after her driver's license was disqualified last year.

According to court documents, police will allege she killed her son between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on July 4. Forensic investigators have been granted court permission to collect saliva, blood, nail clippings, and debris from under her fingernails. Her case is scheduled to be heard again in Wyong Local Court on September 1.