Two charged after baby found dead at Adelaide motel

Left · 1South Australia Police attended the Tollgate Motel in Glen Osmond, about five kilometres south-east of the Adelaide CBD, on the morning of Saturday 10 October after a reported infant death. 1 Left · 1Witnesses estimated about 20 officers were present; police set up a cordon and left by mid-afternoon, saying they needed more time to determine the nature and circumstances of the death. 1 Left · 1On Tuesday 13 October, SA Police Minister Michael Brown confirmed charges had been laid but said he had not been fully briefed and gave no details of the charges or the accused. 2

Left · 2Police later named Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, who have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains to pervert the course of justice. 3 4 Left · 2Police said they found the baby boy during a welfare check and that he had been deceased for a period of time; a post-mortem examination found he was aged six to seven months. 3 4 Left · 1According to court documents cited by ABC News, the alleged offences occurred between 9 August and 10 October. 3

Left · 2Police said the couple had been staying in room four of the motel since arriving from interstate at the beginning of the year and had had no contact with South Australian authorities in that time. 3 4 Left · 1The pair appeared at a bedside hearing in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday and were remanded in custody until May 2027; the Independent, citing AAP, reported that neither applied for bail. They had been arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act before the charges were laid. 3 Left · 1The Major Crime Investigation Branch took over the investigation because of the "nature and complexity of the incident", and police asked anyone who stayed at the motel, particularly people who may know about the occupants of room four, to contact Crime Stoppers. 3

Left · 1Premier Peter Malinauskas said the family was not known to the state's child protection department, though active inquiries continued across other agencies. 3 Left · 1ABC News reported that the woman, also known as Linda Lieu, had been reported missing from Sydney in May 2021 with her two-year-old daughter, when NSW Police said they held grave concerns for their welfare. NSW Police and Victoria Police declined to comment on that matter. 4