Augustine Winter Miller is to be interview today over the girl’s death. His picture above.
Www.lobbyistsofficesofgrw.com is still asking “what the fuck is going on in America wioth these baby/child kidnappings?”
We are saddened to learne that a CONVICTED child sex offender found with an eight-year-old girl in outback WA has been charged with possessing an unlicensed firearm but will not be formally interviewed by police until his medical condition improves.
Police located Augustine Winter Miller, 38, and the girl alive, but severely dehydrated, yesterday afternoon after the pair went on a hunting trip on Saturday afternoon.
Shortly after she was discovered by police the girl lapsed into unconsciousness.
She was taken to the nearby Aboriginal community of Tjirrkarli for medical treatment and later airlifted to Warburton but died despite the best efforts of police and nurses to revive her.
PerthNow has not named the girl for cultural reasons.
Yesterday, police raised grave fears for the girl’s safety before PerthNow revealed Mr Miller was convicted of child sex offences in January 2006.
Court documents show that Mr Miller is a convicted child sex offender who was sentenced to 15 months in jail on January 12, 2006 after a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
Today, Inspector Bill Munnee refused to answer questions about Mr Miller’s prior child sex conviction saying it “was not relevant” to the current police investigation.
He confirmed that police were aware of Mr Miller’s criminal history and that he had been living in the Tjirrkarli community.
But he would not say if police knew he had been co-habitating with a child and her carer, a female relative who is believed to have terminal cancer.
A post-mortem on the girl will be conducted in coming days to determine how she died. Police will repair a report for the State Coroner.
Mr Miller, who is in hospital in a stable condition, is yet to be formally interviewed by police.
Forensic officers will examine the scene where Mr Miller and the girl were found and the abandoned car as part of the police investigation.
“Our focus was the welfare of the two missing persons, in particular the eight-year-old child,” Insp Munnee said.
“When forensics have done the full examination, the post mortem has been conducted and witnesses have been interviewed – including the man himself – there may be further charges. But I don’t want to speculate. Detectives have to do their job. It’s all based on evidence.”
Mr Miller and the girl were reported missing after they were last seen leaving the Tjirrkarli Aboriginal Community, about 180km north-west of Warburton about 12pm on Saturday.
Insp Munnee said a community elder raised concerns the following day amid concerns the pair were travelling in a two-wheel drive vehicle, inclement weather and limited food, water and fuel supplies.
Police issued an alert in WA, South Australia and the Northern Territory, given the community’s close proximity to other states, he said.
Aerial searches yesterday located a vehicle about 25km from the community about 2pm.
Enroute to the vehicle, police discovered Mr Miller and and the girl in dense bushland about 10km from the car – 15km from the remote community. The girl was severely dehydrated and had lost consciousness.
Police administered CPR to the girl for more than an hour before a nurse took over resuscitation. Sadly, the girl could not be revived.
Today Det Sen-Sgt Rod Wilde said it had been an arduous rescue effort and had taken police several hours to reach the car because the remote area and difficult terrain.
The girl had been in the care of a female relative, who is Mr Miller’s de facto partner. It is understood the relationship began several months ago, after Mr Miller was released from prison in April 2011.
A police aircraft and a private plane have conducted aerial searches for Mr Miller and a white Holden Commodore they were travelling in. A team of detectives from Kalgoorlie was also flown in to assist the investigation along with Aboriginal trackers.
Mr Miller is a convicted child sex offender who was sentenced to 15 months in jail on January 12, 2006 after a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
