Australian Mother Accused of Attempting to Drown Children Searched 'How to Kill a Child Quickly'

A Melbourne mother accused of attempting to murder her three children allegedly searched the internet for "how to kill a child quickly" before driving the family car into a creek, a court heard.

The woman, in her 30s and who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces multiple counts of attempted murder for the alleged incident involving her children, aged 12 and under. Her bail application was heard in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

According to The Herald Sun, the court was told that the woman, who suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, allegedly made the attempt on her children's lives just three weeks after the birth of her third child. During a period of deteriorating mental health, she is believed to have isolated herself in her bedroom while her husband cared for the children. When he left briefly to go shopping, the woman allegedly instructed her eldest son to stop playing on his tablet and go to the bathroom, where she then attempted to drown him in a baby bath.

Responding to his mother's actions, the boy reportedly asked, "Why are you doing this?" He later told police that he "held on" and used his legs to prevent being submerged, before the woman suggested they go for a drive.

Upon arriving at a creek with a boat ramp, the boy told police he feared his mother would drive them into the water, recalling a previous alleged bathroom attempt. "I thought nah… but she did," he stated, describing how she allegedly locked the car doors and accelerated "at full speed" toward the water.

Detective Senior Constable Amy Tuck testified that the woman allegedly instructed the primary-school-aged children to "get out" as water began to fill the car, before she pushed one of the children underwater. The child later told police, "She said she was trying to save me … but it felt like I was giving her a piggyback." Police allege the woman then ordered the children back into the vehicle.

Witnesses in the vicinity heard screams and called emergency services, wading into the water to rescue the children.

When questioned by police at the scene, the woman reportedly claimed it was "just an accident... I just slipped."

An analysis of her phone revealed a series of disturbing internet searches in the period leading up to the alleged incident. These included "how to kill a child quickly", "why do I feel suffocated at home", "how do you know if you're cut out to be a mother", "difference between manslaughter and murder", and "murder sentence Victoria".

She is also alleged to have sent text messages to her mother stating, "I want to walk out mum", "I can't do this anymore", and "I want to put the baby up for adoption".

Detective Senior Constable Tuck noted that the woman's life had been marked by "obsessional thoughts" and that she had been prescribed medication by a perinatal psychologist. The court was informed that the woman's symptoms have reportedly resolved since receiving treatment in prison.

Magistrate James Henderson is expected to deliver his decision on the bail application on Wednesday. Should her bail be granted, she is understood to be planning to live with her parents. She is scheduled to face the Supreme Court for a directions hearing on October 12.

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