Cobb, Tyrell - Non-inquest findings
Deceased
Tyrell Cobb
Demographics
4y, male
Date of death
2009-05-24
Finding date
2021-01-22
Cause of death
Intra-abdominal injuries from blunt force trauma (ruptured duodenum and lacerated mesentery causing peritonitis and haemorrhage)
AI-generated summary
Tyrell Cobb, a 4-year-old boy, died from intra-abdominal injuries caused by blunt force trauma inflicted on two separate occasions between 22-24 May 2009. Postmortem revealed a ruptured duodenum and lacerated mesentery causing peritonitis and haemorrhage. Seventy bruises indicated non-accidental injury inflicted over several days. The fatal injuries were delivered by either Matthew Scown or Heidi Strbak (his mother's boyfriend and mother). Critically, both caregivers failed to seek medical attention despite Tyrell becoming severely ill on 23 May with vomiting and abdominal pain. Had medical care been sought promptly following the first injury, resuscitation during the final event, or recognition of the severity of his condition, this death may have been preventable. This case highlights the importance of recognising patterns of injury, responding appropriately to children presenting with concerning symptoms, and mandatory reporting obligations.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- failure to obtain medical treatment despite severe illness
- failure to seek emergency care after abdominal trauma
- non-accidental injury inflicted by caregivers
- delay in calling emergency services
- inadequate response to child's deteriorating condition
- failure to recognise pattern of inflicted injuries
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —