Warning: This story contains distressing content that may upset some readers.
Lauren Dickason made online searches on how to cause child drug overdoses in the weeks leading up to the deaths of her three young daughters.
Dickason, originally from South Africa, is on trial in Christchurch for the murder of her children, Maya, Karla and Liané, in September 2021.
She denies the charges, arguing insanity and infanticide.
It was Dickason’s internet searches that were under the microscope in court on Monday.
“Search one is ‘alprazolam dose for children’, search term two is ‘ambien lethal dose’, ‘carbon monoxide death’ is search three, search four ‘children who bite’, search five ‘drugs to overdose kids’,” Detective Joshua Locke told the court.
Locke, from the police’s digital forensics team, was among the team who took the data from Dickason’s phone the day after her daughters died.
Those were among multiple web searches done around the time the three girls were killed, he said.
Most of the 12 searches happened in South Africa during July and August 2021, but some had been deleted by Dickason, limiting the data, said Locke.
“It cannot be determined what date and time the following searches were made: ‘Children who bite’, ‘fatal levels of ativan’, ‘how to deal with anxiety due to Covid’, ‘I hate what lockdown is making me’, ‘the worst pet as a child’,” he said.
But the defence said it was not clear what Dickason was thinking when these searches were made and some, such as ‘immigration stress’, were omitted entirely.
The defence entered their chosen messages from more than 135,000 present on Dickason’s phone into evidence on Monday. They mostly painted a picture of a hands-on mother, who enjoyed finding activities to do with her daughters, like arts and crafts, gymnastics and swimming.
She often messaged friends and family about what the girls were up to.
Detective Edward Mitchell read some to the court, including this one describing two-year-old twins, Maya and Karla: “Maya is the little mother, always helpful and peaceful and obedient. Karla is the firecracker. She can throw an amazing tantrum but is also loveable and talks a dog out of a bush.
“She and Liané are best friends. It’s so pretty. This is such a nice age – I wish they could stay this big forever.”
Lauren Dickason consistently updated family back in South Africa about her daughters. Photo: Supplied
Many messages had accompanying images or videos of the girls – including one which reads ‘my kids are crazy’, with a picture of all three in an outdoor pool in winter.
Dickason’s lawyer, Anne Toohey, said the pictures provide crucial context to the Crown’s sample of messages.
“There are literally hundreds of photos and videos that Dickason shares to WhatsApp groups of the twins and her daughter, Liané, playing and doing fun things. And you haven’t noted that anywhere in your evidence.”
As the family isolated and then flew to New Zealand, Dickason’s friends and family began to be concerned by the few messages they received.
Mitchell told the court Dickason replied reassuringly.
“Thank you friends. I promise when my inability to speak has passed and the absolute shock of everything that has happened has settled, we’ll FaceTime. I love you all so much,” Dickason wrote in August 2021.
Her communication faded rapidly in the final months the girls were alive, Toohey said.
“In July 2021, 2885 messages were sent from Lauren’s phone. In August 2021, the next month, it drops to 965,” she said.
“In September, acknowledging of course that this only encompasses the first 16 days in September, it drops again to 330 messages.”
The case continues on Tuesday.
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