‘Mummy’s dead’: Child’s chilling words

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 23, 2026

Rosslyn McQueen, a pregnant woman, died from strychnine poisoning in 1986, with her husband Ray McQueen facing but evading prosecution amid suspicions of foul play. The rare remarks of their toddler daughter at the scene have sparked ongoing debate about the child's understanding of death, keeping the case active in public and legal discourse over four decades later.

The unresolved circumstances surrounding the 1986 death of Rosslyn McQueen continue to challenge investigators and those familiar with the case more than four decades later. McQueen, a 30-year-old pregnant woman and wife of life insurance salesman Ray McQueen, was found slumped across a kitchen chair in her home, with toxicology results later revealing she had been poisoned with strychnine.

At the time, Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Blackshaw and colleagues were struck by the chilling words spoken by McQueen’s 30-month-old daughter to a neighbor who had entered the house. The toddler reportedly said, “Mummy’s dead,” and on occasions added, “mustn’t touch Mummy.” Witnesses maintained that the child was not prompted to say these phrases. This utterance has since generated debate about whether the young girl was expressing her own perception of the scene or echoing language she had previously heard.

The investigation focused on Ray McQueen, who was suspected of administering the poison. Police theorized he had positioned his wife’s body over the kitchen chair to conceal the abnormal body arch typical of strychnine poisoning, characterized by severe muscle contractions. McQueen has consistently denied any involvement. Despite being charged with her murder in 1986, his subsequent trial did not proceed after crucial evidence was excluded. A 1987 coroner’s inquest attributed the poisoning to Ray McQueen amid suspicions of his infatuation with a teenage babysitter, but without moving to prosecute.

Part of the police narrative suggested that McQueen left the house for work after his wife had already died, later requesting a neighbor to check on her because she was unresponsive by phone. That neighbor, Vin McKenzie, found the body and recounted that the toddler exclaimed her mother was dead.

The coroner's inquiry did not consider expert opinions on the toddler’s statement. However, developmental psychologist Professor Virginia Slaughter, who studies young children’s understanding of death, commented that it is plausible for a two-and-a-half-year-old to use such language. According to Slaughter, toddlers typically interpret death as the absence of movement rather than the biological cessation of life, and phrases like “mustn’t touch” may be learned from previous experiences, such as hearing adults warn not to touch dead animals.

Slaughter noted that children raised in rural environments, like the McQueens, often have a more advanced grasp of death due to exposure to natural life cycles. She added that toddlers can differentiate between a sleeping person and a deceased one based on responsiveness and stillness, even if they do not fully comprehend the permanence of death.

The case of Rosslyn McQueen remains a subject of public and legal interest, exemplified by recent coverage in a podcast episode examining the original Eaglehawk courthouse inquest. The unresolved questions about the toddler’s words and the circumstances of McQueen’s death continue to resonate in the Australian community and investigative circles.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.