The father of one of the two sisters who died after they were allegedly left in a hot car on a 31C day said the little girls were ‘two peas in a pod’ – as the mother accused of their murder is identified.
Darcey Conley, two, and her one-year-old sister Chloe-Ann, were found inside their mother Kerri-Ann Conley’s car outside their home in Logan City, south of Brisbane at 1.30pm on Saturday.
Neither of the girls could be revived and were declared dead at the scene.
Kerri-Ann, 27, was charged with two counts of murder late on Saturday night after speaking with police for hours.
Police are investigating whether she had drugs in her system at the time of her daughters’ deaths.
Darcey’s father, who wanted to remain anonymous, told The Courier Mail the girls were inseparable and would’ve grown up to be the best of friends if they were given the chance.
A friend of the family released these photos of Darcey (right) and Chloe (left) after the girls died on Saturday
Darcey’s father, who wanted to remain anonymous said the girls were inseparable and would’ve grown up to be the best of friends if they were given the chance. Pictured: Darcey and Chloe
Kerri-Ann Conley (pictured) was charged with two counts of murder after her daughters died when they were left in the car on a hot day
‘They giggled all the time, the pair of them. Although they were 12 months apart, Chloe wasn’t really that far behind Darcey. I think she learnt a lot off Darcey, mannerisms.’
The man fathered Darcey, but said he thought of himself as a father figure to Chloe as well.
‘Chloe, every time you looked at her, she just had a smile from ear to ear.
‘They were just two peas in a pod. They would have been inseparable when they got older. Unfortunately we don’t get to see them grow into beautiful young people,’ he said.
He said Kerri-Ann loved the girls dearly as police investigate allegations the mother was a drug user.
A family friend who often babysat the girls told 9News she hopes ‘justice will be served’ for what happened to them.
Neighbours previously told the publication the girls, who were reportedly left in the black Mazda 6 station wagon for up to seven hours, were ‘gorgeous little girls’.
‘They were always dressed beautifully and just happy little girls…. They were always out in the yard playing,’ the woman said.
A woman pays tribute to the young victims, aged one and two, on Sunday morning
Flower bouquets and stuffed animals are seen outside the Logan home were two young sisters died on Saturday
The mother of the two sisters was charged with two counts of murder. Pictured: The car the girls were allegedly left to die in
A boy leaves stuffed toys at the front of the Waterford West to remember the two sisters who died on Sunday
Members of the local community visited the home on Logan Reserve Road, in Waterford West, to remember the girls on Sunday morning.
Flower bouquets and stuffed animals were placed on the grass below the front fence, which is lined with police tape amid investigations into the deaths.
Tributes for the young girls also poured in online after their tragic deaths.
‘Fly high little babies. So sad,’ one person wrote.
‘Sad to hear… RIP little angels… thoughts with the service members that found the kids,’ another commented.
Kerri-Ann is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.
Police remain at the home and are putting together a timeline to confirm how long they had been in the car, which was parked across the front yard.
One neighbour claimed her grandson recalled seeing the children in the car at 6.30am, seven hours before they were found.
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Mark White said the children died from extreme heat exposure.
‘Paramedics made attempts to revive those children, unfortunately they were both declared deceased at the scene,’ he told reporters in a press conference.
‘The two children showed evidence of being exposed to extreme heat.’
‘It’s tragic and we are putting a lot of emphasis on supporting our staff, because they do a very difficult job,’ he said.
A police officer takes a photo of the car at the Waterford West home amid investigations on Sunday
Detectives are seen at the home on Logan Reserve Road in Waterford West on Sunday
Another neighbour said her granddaughters saw the girls’ bodies being carried out of the house after being splashed with water to cool them down.
‘My granddaughters saw the babies being carried out of the house soaking wet,’ she said.
‘It is a tragic accident, she was a good mum.’
Conley had reportedly moved into the home about six months ago.
It is the same property that police searched when investigating the murder of Beenleigh schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer, 12, in 2015.
Officers were searching for links between Tiahleigh and the then-occupants but did not find any before her foster father pleaded guilty in 2018.
Detectives leave the Waterford West home on Sunday with items gathered from inside the property
Investigators pull at the police tape lined across the home where two sisters were found dead in a car
Children’s toys are seen sprawled in the front yard behind the front fence of the house in Waterford West, Logan
