Tragic Inquest Into Toddler’s Death Raises Disturbing Questions

Ebony Thompson was just two months shy of her second birthday when a tragic incident at her childcare center led to her untimely death. During an inquest, it was revealed that the 22-month-old may have become trapped in a fence while searching for eggs in the chook pen, ultimately losing consciousness.

On September 2, 2023, two days after being found unresponsive at the Humpty Doo Community and Childcare Centre, Ebony was taken off life support at Royal Darwin Hospital, surrounded by her grieving family.

The Northern Territory Coroner, Elisabeth Armitage, concluded a four-day inquiry into the circumstances surrounding her death, which involved testimony from childcare staff, first responders, and medical experts. Two doctors indicated that Ebony’s death was likely due to asphyxiation after her neck became ensnared in the circular loops of the childcare center’s common pool fence. Initially deemed “non-suspicious” by police, the incident was characterized as highly unusual, with witnesses noting that the toddler was found upright against the fence, unresponsive.

Despite an autopsy failing to determine a definitive cause of death, former NT chief forensic pathologist Marianne Tiemensma stated during the inquest that potential causes such as infection, sickness, or congenital abnormalities could be ruled out. “Because we can exclude those, the only reasonable explanation we are left with is pressure to the neck,” she explained.

Harpreet Kaur, the childcare worker who discovered Ebony, testified that the child was standing upright, with no visible part of her body caught in the fence. However, emergency pediatrician and Kidsafe Queensland president Ruth Barker suggested that the chaotic nature of the situation might have led to a misunderstanding of the child’s position at the time of the incident.

As the inquiry unveiled the tragic details surrounding Ebony’s death, it raised critical questions about safety measures in childcare facilities and the protocols in place to prevent such devastating