Mum Refused Bail After Two-Year-Old Girl Was Found Dead in Bathtub

A mother has been refused bail after being charged with the murder of her two-year-old daughter who was found dead in a bathtub.

The Sydney mother was formally refused bail, although she did not apply for it, after she appeared at a Penrith court this morning via video link.

Police were called just after midday yesterday at the housing commission home in south-west Sydney, when a family friend discovered the child’s body, covered with a towel in a bathtub inside the home.

Police are investigating the possibility that the toddler had been dead for a few days before her body was discovered.

Court documents say the girl was murdered between 6am on Saturday and 12.30pm on Tuesday.

The family friend had reportedly tried to contact the mother for a few days, and when she failed, she became concerned for the child and decided to visit the home.

The mother is believed to have been suffering from a mental illness and was hospitalised on the weekend after she was involved in a car accident at the Blue Mountains. The family friend said that she hadn’t seen or heard from the mother or girl since the accident.

Crime scene investigators remained at the home until late last night as they tried to determine the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death. A post-mortem examination will also determine how she died.

The mother was arrested by police overnight and was formally charged. Police are also now searching for the girl’s father.

The case was adjourned to Campbelltown Local Court on November 9.

Sources: 9news.com.au and Dailymail.co.uk