Rhuan Immanuel: Family of 7-month-old boy tortured to death by parents launch funeral plea on GoFundMe
This article contains distressing content that could be traumatic for some readers. Discretion is advised.
YUGAR, BRISBANE: The devastated family of a seven-month-old baby who was barbarically tortured and murdered by his own parents has made a plea for financial help in order to give him a proper funeral.
Reinhardt Bosch, 33, and Noemi Kondacs, 22, are charged with murdering and torturing their son Rhuan Immanuel between April 11 and November 2, the day he died. The couple, who are originally from South Africa, was arrested by the police on Thursday, November 3, when they responded to an emergency call and rushed to the couple’s home at Mount Samson Road in Yugar, Brisbane at around 6.45 am. The court documents say they killed the baby on Wednesday and prayed for his recovery for approximately 24 hours before calling paramedics.
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The baby boy's death has sent shockwaves across the close-knit community of the town. Meanwhile, a family friend is urging the community to support Rhuan’s grandfather as he prepares to lay his grandson to rest. Kelly Cousins has set up a GoFundMe page to help the grieving grandfather and ensure the little boy "who deserved so much better" is "honored with a proper funeral".
"[Rhuan] was here for such a short time but he was loved so dearly, particularly by his grandfather and that is who has been asked to arrange a service for him," Cousins wrote on the fundraiser page. "Unfortunately, his grandfather is not able to fund a service at this time and so I am appealing to the community to help honor this gorgeous little boy who deserved just so much better."
Cousins said "hearts are broken everywhere" by what happened to Rhuan, but she hopes that making sure he is "remembered in a beautiful way" might help the community find peace. "We cannot undo what’s [allegedly] happened but we can do this one thing for him. Hug your kids tonight and if you need help, please seek it and seek it and seek it until you get it. Love to you all." The page has received $860 of its $10,000 goal since it was set up on Thursday, November 10.
The killer couple was presented in the Brisbane Magistrate's Court via video link on Friday, November 4. They have been charged with one count each of murder and torture. Bosch is also facing one charge of assault occasioning bodily harm. Court documents allege Bosch tortured Rhuan and assaulted him with an offensive instrument causing bodily harm between April and November.
A first responder at the scene described the horror of the crime. Queensland Police Detective Inspector David Jackman said, "It certainly hits home. I have been a detective for 30-odd years, and it is one of the most confronting scenes I've seen. The child was found in the house, but where in the house, I'm not at liberty to say." He also revealed that from what he observed while on the scene, the child was not neglected in terms of nourishment. "The investigation has uncovered injuries to the child that is enough for us to charge murder," Inspector Jackson said, adding, "They're defenseless at seven months old and it's not pleasant, no."
The court document says Bosch was a youth worker and got appointed for his role just a few months before his son’s horrific death. Bosch made the initial call to paramedics, Detective Inspector David Jackman said. The couple was not previously known to the police, and neither was the address. Police have sealed off the residence and launched Operation Uniform Salwood to investigate every possible circumstance surrounding the baby boy’s death.
Talking about the incident, one Yugar local said she never even knew that the couple had a newborn baby. "We all blame ourselves a bit, but what can you do?" she told DailyMail Australia. Horrified neighbors said they never spoke with the couple but described the situation as "tragic".