Teen and Older Boy Found Dead in Ballarat Squat House Amid Child Care Failures

On June 22, the bodies of 17-year-old Mia and her 26-year-old boyfriend Marcus were recovered from a squat house in Ballarat that lacked basic utilities, with the coroner attributing their deaths to carbon-monoxide poisoning likely from an indoor grill. The pair were surrounded by drug-related items, and the investigation has raised questions about the adequacy of state-run residential care, as Mia had been placed in Berry Street’s facility at 14 after a history of abuse and exploitation.

Two days before the incident, her residential bed was abruptly closed, and she was supposed to transition to a “safe house” overseen by a woman with an extensive criminal record, yet she and Marcus instead stayed in the squat house they occasionally used. Grandmother Michelle and mother Ava contend that neglect, repeated missing episodes, and exposure to drugs contributed to the tragedy, while an older man who allegedly assaulted Mia since she was 14 remains uncharged. The coronial inquest, with input from Victoria Police and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, will hear further evidence in November.