Australia's 'worst female serial killer' has been pardoned, thanks to science

Kathleen Folbigg endured the unimaginable tragedy of losing her four young children, and to make matters worse, she was accused of their murders. After spending two decades behind bars, Folbigg has finally been granted a pardon following a highly publicized inquiry that captured national attention in Australia. This case has been recognized as one of the most prominent and widely discussed in the country's history.

Kathleen Folbigg, the 51-year-old mother who was labelled as "Australia's worst female serial killer," was convicted in 2003 of 'murdering three of her children and manslaughter of the fourth'. And what was common between them? All of them were between nine weeks to three-years-old and died of natural causes. 

This became the base and the point of argument for the prosecutors during the trials, who alleged that she suffocated her children, however Folbigg maintained her stance saying that each death occurred naturally. 

However, to Mrs Folbigg's luck, in 2021, 90 scientists (including two Nobel laureates and two Australians of the Year) abroad signed a petition advocating for Folbigg's release, presenting new forensic evidence suggesting that the unexplained deaths could be attributed to rare genetic mutations or congenital abnormalities (We will get to that in a bit).

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But before that, what was the case?

Kathleen Megan Folbigg is an Australian woman who was convicted of the 'murder' of her four children. The tragic events took place between 1989 and 1999. Folbigg's children—Caleb, Patrick, Sarah, and Laura—all died during infancy.

It was alleged that she smothered her children to death, however, she claimed they were victims of sudden infant death syndrome (which means exactly like it sounds). Suspicion arose due to the statistical improbability of having multiple cases of SIDS within the same family.

However, 

• During the trial, forensic experts testified that the chances of four siblings dying from SIDS were extremely rare. They presented evidence indicating that the children's deaths were likely caused by deliberate smothering or suffocation.
• Folbigg's diary entries were also used as evidence against her: In her personal writings, she expressed distressing thoughts about her children, including mentions of their deaths and her fears of being accused. Prosecutors argued that the diary entries revealed her guilt and a potential motive for the crimes.

Finally, in 2003, Kathleen Folbigg was convicted of the murders and received a sentence of 40 years in prison.

However, conditions changed for Mrs Folbigg when in 2021, these 90 scientists took up the case and raised their voices for Folbigg and she was given a pardon, today (June 5)

The key evidence? Science 

The crucial evidence, in this case, came from a group of immunologists who discovered a genetic mutation called 'CALM2 G114R', which was present in both of Kathleen Folbigg's daughters, Sarah and Laura. This mutation has been associated with the occurrence of sudden cardiac death.

Furthermore, it was revealed that Folbigg's sons, Caleb and Patrick, carried a distinct genetic mutation that has been linked to the development of sudden-onset epilepsy (when a person has 2 or more seizures with no known cause). 

Prof Vinuesa said there were only 134 known cases worldwide of the potentially deadly heart condition linked to the genetic mutation.