In the quiet town of Toowoomba, nestled in southern Queensland, a chilling question lingers like a shadow over the community: How could one man convince 13 others to let an 8-year-old girl die? The answer lies in the devastating story of Elizabeth Struhs, a vibrant child with Type 1 diabetes, whose life was stolen by the extreme beliefs of a religious cult known as The Saints. This heart-wrenching tale of faith gone astray, manipulative leadership, and a family’s blind devotion culminated in a tragedy that shook the nation and led to the conviction of 14 people for manslaughter.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs, a bright and joyful girl with big dreams, died on January 7, 2022, in her family’s home after six agonizing days without her life-saving insulin. Instead of rushing her to a hospital, her parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, along with 11 other members of The Saints and their leader, Brendan Stevens, gathered around her frail body on a mattress in their living room. They prayed, sang, and waited for a miracle they believed God would deliver. Even after Elizabeth stopped breathing, they continued their vigil, convinced she was merely “asleep” and would be resurrected to prove God’s divine power to the world. For over 24 hours after her death, they sang religious songs, delaying the call to emergency services, clinging to their delusion of divine intervention.

At the center of this tragedy stood Brendan Stevens, a 63-year-old self-proclaimed pastor whose iron grip over The Saints shaped their deadly ideology. Stevens preached an extreme form of Pentecostalism that branded modern medicine as “witchcraft” and doctors as agents of evil. He taught that only God could heal, and any reliance on medication was a betrayal of faith. Central to his doctrine was the belief that true Christians must speak in tongues—a physical sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Without this, Stevens declared, one was not truly saved. He positioned himself as God’s chosen messenger, his followers as an elite group above ordinary humans, trapped in what experts call a “purity spiral”—a dangerous escalation of extreme beliefs that justified their actions.

Kerrie Struhs, Elizabeth’s 49-year-old mother, was among Stevens’ most devoted followers. Her unwavering allegiance to his teachings had already endangered Elizabeth’s life once before. In 2019, Kerrie refused to administer insulin to her daughter, ignoring medical advice despite Elizabeth’s worsening condition. Text messages from that time reveal the chilling dynamic between Kerrie and Stevens. When Kerrie asked for prayers as Elizabeth grew sicker, Stevens responded with a vision: “I see Elizabeth turning to you and saying ‘I am getting better mummy …’” Kerrie replied, “AMEN It can’t happen any other way.” The next day, when Elizabeth could no longer walk, and her father, Jason, decided to take her to the hospital, Stevens sent a stark rebuke: “GOD shall prevail not JASON.” That incident led to Kerrie’s conviction for neglecting her child, resulting in a nine-month prison sentence. Tragically, just three weeks after her release in December 2021, Elizabeth was dead.

Jason Struhs, Elizabeth’s 53-year-old father, had not always been part of The Saints. Initially, he ensured Elizabeth received her insulin, signing a diabetes management plan after Kerrie’s 2019 conviction. But when Kerrie returned home from prison, the group’s influence intensified. Under what Justice Martin Burns later described as Stevens’ “intense and unrelenting” pressure, Jason was baptized into The Saints in August 2021, calling it the “greatest day of my life.” By New Year’s Day 2022, he stopped giving Elizabeth her rapid-acting insulin, soon ceasing her slow-release doses as well. As Elizabeth’s health deteriorated, the group sent messages of encouragement, framing her suffering as a test of faith. One member texted, “Rest in His glorious love, power and faithfulness. This is just a little trial to prove that you are all truly faithful to our faithful God.” Another chillingly noted on January 6, the day before Elizabeth’s death, “Elizabeth doesn’t appear to be breathing, but we are all around her praying.”

When police finally arrived at the Struhs’ home, more than 36 hours after Elizabeth’s death, they found the group singing and unmoved by the tragedy. In police interviews, their responses were haunting. Kerrie, showing no visible grief, told officers, “We still believe [God] can do anything. He has promised healing.” She insisted Elizabeth’s body was “just bones and flesh” and that her spirit would rise again. Jason claimed the decision to stop insulin “felt right” and that Elizabeth was “as happy as anything.” Stevens went so far as to assert that Elizabeth, an 8-year-old child, had chosen to forgo her medication, a claim police swiftly dismissed: “She’s not in a position to make that decision.” Another member, Therese Stevens, declared, “No one said she’s dead. It’s more like she sleeps now because we believe it is only sleep, and at some point God will rise her again.”

The trial, which unfolded over nine weeks in Brisbane’s Supreme Court in 2024, was a harrowing reckoning. All 14 members of The Saints, including Jason and Kerrie Struhs, their 22-year-old son Zachary, and Stevens’ wife and six children, were found guilty of manslaughter on January 29, 2025. Justice Burns acquitted Stevens and Jason of murder, citing a lack of proof that they fully realized Elizabeth would die, given the “cloistered atmosphere” of their faith. However, he condemned their actions as an “egregious departure from the standard of care,” holding them responsible for a “profoundly disturbing” and “entirely preventable” death. Burns described Stevens as a “highly dangerous individual” who orchestrated the spiritual gamble that cost Elizabeth her life.

On February 26, 2025, the 14 members faced sentencing. Jason and Kerrie Struhs each received 14-year prison terms, with a requirement to serve 80% as serious violent offenders. Stevens was sentenced to 13 years, while Zachary Struhs and the other members—Therese Maria Stevens, Sebastian James Stevens, Loretta Mary Stevens, Camellia Claire Stevens, Andrea Louise Stevens, Alexander Francis Stevens, Acacia Naree Stevens, Samantha Emily Schoenfisch, Lachlan Stuart Schoenfisch, and Keita Courtney Martin—received sentences ranging from six to nine years. Justice Burns lambasted the group for their “arrogance” and lack of remorse, noting that their faith had blinded them to Elizabeth’s suffering. He expressed doubt that their time in prison would rehabilitate them or deter similar acts, warning that their beliefs posed a “serious risk” to others.

Elizabeth’s older sister, Jayde Struhs, who was not part of the cult, stood as a voice for her sister outside the courtroom. “Not a moment has gone by that I haven’t thought about my little sister,” she said, welcoming the verdicts but lamenting that “the system failed to protect Elizabeth in the first place.” Jayde described Elizabeth as a “young, bright girl with big dreams of helping others with diabetes,” whose “kind soul and infectious laughter” would live on in their hearts.

The fallout from Elizabeth’s death has reverberated beyond the courtroom. In Toowoomba, a network of Christian pastors, led by figures like Denis Lennox and Cameron Schoenfisch—whose son Lachlan was among the convicted—has launched a campaign to combat coercive control in religious communities. Through workshops called “Time to Do Better,” they aim to educate congregations about the warning signs of cult-like behavior, hoping to prevent future tragedies. Cameron, heartbroken by his son’s involvement, shared a poignant message: “I would just like to say to Lachlan, ‘We love you as much as ever in spite of what you’ve done. Wake up to yourself and come back to us.’”

Elizabeth Struhs’ story is a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked fanaticism and the devastating consequences of blind faith. It challenges society to confront the boundaries of religious freedom, the responsibilities of parenthood, and the urgent need to protect vulnerable children from those who claim divine authority. In Toowoomba, her memory fuels a movement to shine a light on coercive control, ensuring that her death was not in vain.