Baby found dead in Adelaide motel room after month unseen

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 08:32 · Archive

A baby boy aged six to seven months was found dead in an Adelaide motel room on Saturday morning after reportedly not being seen for up to a month. Police were called to the Tollgate Motel shortly before 10.30am. The Daily Mail reports that incense was burning in the room when emergency services arrived.

Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains. Both appeared before Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday and were remanded in custody until 3 May 2027. Police said the pair had been staying at the motel since arriving in South Australia at the beginning of the year and had no contact with state authorities during that time.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Monday that neither the family nor the child were known to the state's child protection system. 'Whenever a child or infant passes away, it is a tragedy beyond comprehension,' he said. Police said the Major Crime Investigation Branch had taken over the investigation and were seeking assistance from anyone who had information about the motel occupants.

How it is being reported

• Man and woman charged after baby boy found dead in Adelaide motelSouth Australia police say infant was aged between six and seven months old and had been ‘deceased for a period of time’ A man and a woman have been charged after a baby boy was found dead in a motel. Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, are in custody after police discovered the child during a welfare check at a Glen Osmond motel in Adelaide’s south on Saturday. Continue reading...Guardian World · 13 Oct, 08:09
• Baby who hadn't been seen for up to a month found dead beneath blankets in Adelaide motel - as incense burned to mask the smellA baby who had reportedly been missing from sight for up to a month was found dead an Adelaide motel room on Saturday.Daily Mail · 12 Oct, 22:30

In this story: Benjamin Nicholas Houghton · Yue Ning Lieu · Adelaide · Tollgate Motel · South Australia Police · Peter Malinauskas

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem