A three-year-old boy tragically died after being trapped for nine hours inside a disused car on a sweltering day in Queensland, Australia. Daniel was found unresponsive by his grandfather late on Tuesday evening, curled on the floor near the pedals, still wearing his Spiderman outfit.
A Desperate Search Ends in Tragedy
Daniel was reported missing just after 3.30pm on Tuesday from his grandmother's home in Thabeban, a suburb approximately four hours north of Brisbane. His disappearance prompted an immediate and widespread search involving multiple police and State Emergency Service units.
The frantic hunt came to a devastating conclusion at 9.25pm when the little boy's grandfather discovered him inside a broken-down vehicle. The car was located just three metres from where Daniel was last seen alive. Despite the extensive efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
How the Tragedy Unfolded
According to his aunt, Tracy Fuller, the sequence of events began around 1pm when relatives dropped Daniel at his grandmother Linda Fuller's house, where he had lived since he was just 12 days old. On this occasion, the relatives did not walk him inside as they normally would.
"Being a little boy who loved cars, he obviously walked straight out the back to the cars and got in the driver's side, where the handle was broken on the inside," Tracy explained to the Daily Mail. The grandmother usually kept the car locked, but it was unlocked on that fateful day.
Linda Fuller did not realise Daniel had returned home until about two hours later, when his younger sister arrived and asked for her brother. This sparked the initial panic and the subsequent search. Tracy Fuller stated that Daniel had likely already been in the scorching vehicle for two hours by the time the search commenced and was probably deceased before it even began.
A Heartbreaking Discovery and a Family's Grief
Contradicting earlier reports, Daniel's aunt confirmed that the toddler was in the car the entire time. "To my understanding, he was in the car the whole time, from 1pm to nearly ten at night," she said. Search teams had looked in the vehicle but failed to see the little boy.
When his grandfather finally shone a torch into the car, he found Daniel holding two empty cups. The family believe he found the cups, left from a trip two days prior, while trapped and held onto them because he was hot and thirsty. The other car doors had working handles, but it is believed the toddler would not have considered trying them to escape.
"He was so loved by everyone, he will be missed," Tracy said. The family is utterly devastated and has set up a GoFundMe campaign to support grandmother Linda Fuller with funeral costs, a headstone, and to give her time to grieve. "My sister Linda has had care of Daniel since he was 12 days old, and she has been there for him from day one," Tracy wrote.
Queensland Police have confirmed the death is not being treated as suspicious. A report will be prepared for the coroner.
