A woman accused of killing her young son and eating parts of his body was remembered by her childhood best friend as a “sweet girl” during her early years in a rural New South Wales town.
The 32-year-old woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested on Saturday after attending Wyong Police Station on the NSW Central Coast. She was later charged with murder after allegedly telling officers she had partially consumed her four-year-old son.
The mother and child had reportedly relocated to Wyong about five months earlier while fleeing domestic violence. Neighbours said they mostly kept to themselves, although the little boy was allowed to attend local birthday parties.
Social services had contact with the boy on three occasions amid concerns about neglect and his mother’s suspected drug-induced psychosis. Authorities ultimately decided he should remain in her care before his death.
The Daily Mail previously reported that close relatives in Armidale and Gunnedah, in north-central NSW, had taken out apprehended violence orders against the woman. She also lost an appeal last year in a bid to have her driver’s licence reinstated.
Her childhood best friend, identified as Neveah*, has now spoken to the Mail about the pair’s once-close relationship — and a disturbing game of “Titanic” that she says brought their friendship to an end.
Neveah said she was thrilled when a young family moved into public housing just a few doors from her father’s home in Armidale, because it meant there was finally another girl nearby to play with.
That girl, then nine years old, had four older brothers and was “obviously the apple of her mother’s eye,” Neveah recalled.
The boy’s mother (pictured), 32, allegedly told police she had consumed part of her son
The boy (pictured) is alleged to have been dead for several days before the alarm was raised
‘She was really sweet,’ Neveah added.
‘She was a nice friend and her mum was lovely, a really nice person, but I had the impression she’d had a rough life.’
Neveah said the girl’s father didn’t seem to be around but that she never saw anything concerning at the family home. The place was always clean, and there didn’t appear to be any violence or aggression.
One of the girl’s brothers was in trouble a lot at school, Neveah recalled, ‘but it seemed like her older brothers were a bit mischievous and she was the sweet sister’.
However, their close friendship ended almost as quickly as it began.
‘We were on a sleepover and we went to get milk for her mum, so we were walking to the shops and walked past the house of a guy we went to school with,’ Neveah said.
Neveah went to knock on the door while the girl stayed back on the street. There was no answer, but a pair of keys belonging to the boy’s father were in the door.
When Neveah explained she could see the house keys, the girl ordered: ‘Go get them.’
Pictured: The crime scene where a woman allegedly killed her son and ate parts of his body
Pictured: A map showing Sydney in relation to Wyong, where a mother allegedly murdered and ate her son
On their way home, Neveah asked: ‘What are we going to do with the keys?’
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The girl suggested they ‘play Titanic’ and then dropped the keys over the edge of a bridge ‘into this rank, dirty, syringe-filled creek’.
By the time they got home, they realised their school friend’s father – the owner of the keys – had watched the theft unfold from the front window.
He was screaming at Neveah’s father and the girl’s mother, demanding to know where his stolen keys were.
The girl replied, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ but Neveah caved and said, ‘I’m so sorry we dropped them in the creek.’
Neveah’s dad sent her older brother on an unsuccessful mission into the creek to retrieve them, but they ended up having to pay for new keys.
What happened next is difficult for Neveah to remember exactly. She can’t recall whether her father said the girl was a ‘bad influence’, although it was certainly implied.
She remembers her dad being so disappointed in her for going along with the theft of the keys and feeling ‘so guilty’ about it. In that moment, she knew the friendship was ‘very much over’.
The girl’s family moved away to Gunnedah a few months later.
Wyong locals left tributes at a local swimming pool on Monday afternoon (pictured)
Pictured: A local woman laying flowers at a vigil for the little boy on Monday
Members of the Wyong community looked shattered by the tragedy on Monday
Neveah eventually heard rumours that the girl started experimenting with drugs as a teenager and it impacted the rest of her life.
By the time she allegedly killed and partially ate her son on Saturday, she was suspected of experiencing drug-induced psychosis.
It was previously reported that workers from the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) had been communicating with the woman and her child from early 2024 when a family member expressed concern for the boy’s welfare.
It was at that point that DCJ became aware of her suspected drug use and episodes of psychosis.
The mother was then referred to an early intervention program that allowed him to stay in his mother’s custody.
Police could still be seen at the crime scene on Monday, two days after her arrest.
Soft toys and cards for the little boy were left at the front door and at the top of the driveway.
According to court documents seen by the Daily Mail, police will allege she killed her son between 4pm and 5pm on July 4.
She was charged with murder and appeared in Bail Court on Saturday, where bail was formally refused.
Her matter is back in Wyong Local Court on September 1.
* Name has been changed.
