Parents' heartbreak as 'precious' item stolen from Aussie toddler's grave
Brittany Conway was just three years old when she died from accidentally ingesting a button battery. Now her family has suffered a new blow.
Brittany Conway was just three years old when she died, with the toddler forever remembered for her love of "pretty dresses, tiaras and high heels". The Gold Coast child passed away almost four years ago after accidentally swallowing a button battery and, in memoriam, her family left a "precious" keepsake above her gravesite — something she'd cherished during her time alive.
One of Brittany's beloved tiaras was left inside a locked glass-front box attached to her grave, and sat alongside her for years until this week, her "angry and hurt" parents realised the unimaginable, that somebody had cruelly stolen it.
With the four-year anniversary of Brittany's death looming, her parents are urging whoever is responsible to do the right thing and "bring it back to Brittany where it belongs".
Unimaginable crime at toddler's grave
"She was a vivacious little girl, there was a sparkle in her eye," Brittany’s mother Lorraine told 7News. "She was a very loving, gentle, funny character. Brittany loved wearing big bows and pretty dresses, she loved the tiaras and high heels."
"We just wanted her to know she was our little princess."
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Parents' message to thief
Lorraine said she was "so angry to think someone had taken something so precious", snatching it "out of somewhere so sacred". "I’m still angry, I’m hurt, but my main thing now is to get [the tiara] home, and bring it back to Brittany where it belongs," she said.
"They haven’t thought about how much of an impact it has had on the family. If you’re watching this, and you’ve taken it, I don’t hate you — just take it back to her."
The local Gold Coast community has rallied around the family, offering to replace the tiara and even provide a reward for its return. Brittany’s parents remain hopeful, insisting that they "do not hate" the thief, urging them to return the cherished item.
When contacted by Yahoo News, a Queensland Police spokesperson said they are aware of the incident, but as of Tuesday morning, no arrests had been made.
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