It’s been revealed police intercepted a Queensland man on the same day he and his baby son were reported missing. Both were found dead days later.

February 8, 2019

A Queensland man found dead in a car with his baby boy was pulled over by police on the same day the child’s mother reported them missing.

An independent investigation is underway into how police handled the case, including why they didn’t issue an amber alert, used in major child abduction cases.

Investigators have revealed police pulled over the 46-year-old man on Sunday, breath-tested him, fined him for speeding and then let him go.

The child’s mother had contacted police about her concerns on the same day.

Their two bodies were found in a car in a remote location on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday in a case that’s being treated as a murder-suicide.

Soon after the bodies were found, police revealed there had been domestic violence allegations against the man.

Assistant Commissioner Sharon Cowden, from the police Ethical Standards Command, says there’s nothing to indicate the six-month-old boy was in the man’s car when he was intercepted.

But she said every aspect of the police response would be investigated, including the decision not to issue an amber alert.

“The mother contacted police on Sunday. The deceased male was intercepted by police on Sunday,” she told reporters.

“We did a breath test and he was issued with a speeding ticket.”

“I don’t have any indications that the child was with the man at the time, but I can’t understand the full circumstances this early.”

“It was an officer from road policing. That officer is, I’m told, struggling,” she said.

Asked if a thorough search of the car was done during the intercept, she said: “Exactly what happened at the time, in that intercept, is going to be a really important part of what the whole investigation shows us. And I’m not at liberty to explain exact details further.”

The investigation will also look at police records and what warning advice was available to officers, and will involve inputs from other agencies including the Child Protection Unit.

On the day the bodies were found by council workers near the Roys Road campground on the banks of Coochin Creek, police revealed the man has been accused of domestic violence.

“The father and the child failed to turn up in relation to some custody arrangements,” Detective Inspector Drinnen said.

“The mother was concerned … so some welfare checks (were done) initially, before this was reported as a missing person investigation.”

He said it was treated as “high-risk missing person investigation” and confirmed no amber alert was issued.

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnson asked why a known domestic violence offender had unsupervised access to a six-month-old child.

“That’s alarming … that person should have never had access to this child … if he didn’t have access and that child was stolen, that would have been an amber alert.”