Police in Australia, with the cooperation of their international counterparts, initiated a manhunt to locate a man who allegedly fled the country after pouring hot coffee on a baby in Brisbane.
As a result of the shocking incident, which unfolded on August 31, the nine-month-old boy who was at a picnic with his family at a suburban park, was left with severe burns to his face and limbs.
A “strange man” approached and emptied a flask on the child before fleeing on foot, the BBC reported, citing witnesses.
The baby was immediately given first aid, before an off-duty nurse took him to her nearby apartment to run his burns under cold water.
The child received multiple surgeries for his injuries, and his parents say he is facing a years-long road to recovery.
Following the incident, Queensland Police issued an arrest warrant for a 33-year-old suspect wanted for intending to cause grievous bodily harm, a charge carrying a possible life sentence.
Authorities revealed Monday that the main suspect departed from Sydney airport six days after the incident, just 12 hours before they could confirm his identity.
The motive behind the incident is still unknown.
So far, the police know the name of the suspect and the country he fled to but they said that disclosing the information at this time could jeopardise their investigation.
According to the BBC, the suspect is an “itinerant” worker who had travelled to Australia repeatedly since 2019 and had addresses in both New South Wales and Victoria.
Deputy Inspector Paul Dalton said the suspect was aware of “police methodologies” and had been “conducting counter-surveillance activities” to evade them.
The baby’s parents on Monday said that while they were “devastated” to learn the suspect had left the country, they were also relieved he was gone.
The boy is in “good spirits”, his father added, but may yet need further skin graft surgeries.
A GoFundMe page for the baby boy has so far raised over A$150,000.
