Thursday 15 October 2026New South Wales edition
Sydney Times News

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Woman charged over baby death previously reported missing interstate with another child

A woman and a man have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains over the death of an infant found at an Adelaide motel. The pair, who had been reported missing in New South Wales with another child five years ago, have been remanded in custody until next year.

SR
By Staff Reporter
News reporter · Updated about 21 hours ago

A woman and a man have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains over the death of an infant found at an Adelaide motel.

Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, also known as Linda Lieu, were arrested on Saturday when the baby boy was found at the Tollgate Motel at Glen Osmond.

The pair have been remanded in custody until next year.

Warning: Readers are advised this article contains content some may find distressing.

Police attended the motel for a welfare check and found the infant who they said had been deceased "for a period of time." A post-mortem revealed the baby was aged six to seven months old.

Police said initial investigations showed the pair had been residing at the motel since arriving in South Australia from interstate at the beginning of the year and had not had contact with state authorities during that time.

The 40-year-old man and 42-year-old woman faced a bedside court hearing on Monday.

Previous concerns for her welfare

In 2021, police appealed for public assistance to locate then-36-year-old Linda Lieu and her two-year-old daughter who had been reported missing from Sydney's south.

Police had said they held "grave concerns" for the welfare of the pair, who had been reported missing in May after they were last seen at a family member's house.

NSW Police and Victoria Police have declined to comment on the missing person matter.

In a blog run by Ms Lieu, she describes herself as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner living and working in Sydney.

The police investigation continues.

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