Read Online Mothers Who Murder by Xanthe Mallett - Free Book Online

put her to bed between 10 and 10.30 pm. At around 1.30 am on 30 August 1993, the morning of Sarah’s death, Kathleen’s screams woke Craig who rushed to check on Sarah; he found her lying on her cot, blue, with vomit and mucus in her mouth. She had no pulse or other vital signs, but was still warm to the touch. Craig tried to revive her, as did the ambulance crew, but their efforts failed. Sarah died, aged ten and a half months.
    Professor Hilton, the senior pathologist at the New South Wales forensic pathology laboratory, performed the post-mortem examination on Sarah. His report showed that Sarah had a build-up of fluid in her lungs, which could have made it hard for her to breathe. She also showedsigns of minor haemorrhages (or petechiae) on the heart, lungs and thymus. Her uvula, the bell-shaped projection at the back of the throat, was unusually swollen or haemorrhagic. Both of these symptoms can be signs of the Streptococcus germ, which causes numerous infections, chiefly of the respiratory tract; this bacterium was found in Sarah’s airways and was noted on post-mortem. Sarah’s post-mortem report revealed also that she died of myocarditis 12 and the cause of death was officially registered as SIDS. For the third time, no investigation was initiated and the coroner’s finding of natural death accepted.
    After losing yet another child, Kathleen became despairing. Her relationship with Craig deteriorated and they went through a number of separations and reconciliations. To try and escape their sad history, the Folbiggs again relocated, this time to Singleton in the beautiful Hunter Valley, 8o kilometres northwest of Newcastle. The couple lived in this popular wine-growing region for two years before Kathleen again fell pregnant. She gave birth to their second daughter, Laura, on 7 August 1997. Laura was subject to a number of tests, one of which showed that she was suffering from mild sleep apnoea, but there was no evidence of any genetic, metabolic or biochemical problems. As a further precaution, due to the family history, Laura’s sleeping and breathing patterns were observed, using a corometric machine that monitors the baby’s vital signs as well as environmental factors such as the room temperature and ventilation. The device was also able to store information that was then downloaded to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, for analysis. Just like Sarah’s sleep monitor, Laura’s regularly gave off false alarms. By the time she was almost a year old,monitoring was therefore reduced as she was considered outside the high-risk period for SIDS (between one and six months), although Kathleen assured Craig that she was vigilant over the child. Kathleen’s promises did little to put Craig’s mind at rest. Over time their relationship again deteriorated, and in August 1998 Kathleen wrote to Craig saying that Laura was the only thing keeping them together. The Crown would later use this against her, but Kathleen was clearly struggling emotionally at this time. She was increasingly choosing to spend her days at the gym and evenings with friends, as she saw these activities as her escape.
    Laura’s mild sleep apnoea did not present any significant problems until she was nineteen months old, when she caught a cold. At around 7 am on the day of her death, 1 March 1999, Kathleen had become angry because Laura was crying. Craig was about to leave for work and the couple had an argument. Later that morning, Kathleen took Laura to see Craig at work, leaving him at 11 am. Just over an hour later, at 12.05 pm, Kathleen called 000 and reported that Laura had stopped breathing. Two ambulance crews arrived to find Kathleen administering CPR on Laura on the breakfast bar. The medics examined Laura and found she was not breathing and was blue; on initial examination her heart was beating, but only very slowly, before it stopped beating completely. Laura was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead at 12.45 pm.
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