A 48-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a nine-month-old baby found on a Gold Coast beach.
Photo: 123rf.com
The baby's father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was extradited from Queensland in Australia, arriving at the Tweed Heads police station just after 10pm on Wednesday.
The man was refused bail and faced the Tweed Heads Magistrates Court via video link this morning.
The baby's body is believed to have drifted in the water for two days.
Investigations commenced after her body washed up at Surfers Paradise beach where she was found after midnight on Monday.
Police will allege that the child died in New South Wales.
The parents of the child were found in Broadbeach on Monday along with a four-year-old boy who has been taken into care.
Detective Chief Inspector Brendan Cullen said yesterday that divers had been searching the Tweed River and Jack Evans Boat Harbour in Tweed Heads.
"The full circumstances of how that child got in the water is unknown. We're hoping divers may assist us, we're hoping members of the public might assist us, we're hoping CCTV might assist us. These are the things that will piece together what's happened here," he said.
The results of an autopsy have not yet been completed.
The 23-year-old mother of the baby has been released from custody and is being assessed by mental health authorities.
- ABC
