The parents of a three-year-old girl who died after swallowing a battery have been dealt another blow after an alleged thief stole her grave.
Brittney Conway lost her courageous fight for life at Queensland Children’s Hospital in July 2020 – three weeks after ingesting the button battery embedded in her body.
Her parents Lorraine and David Conway, who live on the Gold Coast, had a glass box containing a tiara attached to her grave in memory of Brittney
The precious keepsake, locked in the box, is believed to have been stolen from her grave in a Mudgeeraba cemetery.
Mrs Conway said the stolen item was a reminder of how much she loved her little girl, who loved tiaras and dressing up.
“We just wanted her to know she was our little princess,” Mrs. Conway said 7 News.
The heartbroken mother expressed her frustration with the alleged thief, adding that the tiara was irreplaceable.
Brittney Conway (pictured) died at Queensland Children’s Hospital on July 28, 2020, three weeks after consuming the button battery that had become lodged in her body.
‘I was so angry at the thought of someone… [allegedly] Take something so precious from us or even from her,” she said.
The local population supports the distraught family and offers to donate money in the form of a new tiara.
“I met a man who wanted to donate a $1,000 reward,” Ms. Conway said.
The couple first noticed the missing tiara last week.
“What filthy, vile dogs stole my daughter’s tiara from the safe on her grave,” Conway fumed on Facebook.
I hope you are haunted forever!
“We’ll get you a new one, but this one was on her last bed before we put her to rest.”
Mrs. Conway described her daughter as a girl who was courageous and full of life.
“She was a lively little girl, if she fell off the bike she would get back on,” she said.
She urged the alleged thief to return the stolen tiara.
“I don’t hate you, but please give it back to her,” she said.
Brittney’s mother Lorraine Conway (pictured) expressed her frustration after the tiara was reportedly stolen from her daughter’s grave on the Gold Coast
Queensland Police are reportedly aware of the incident.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Queensland Police for further comment.
Brittney first began showing symptoms several weeks before she died after she developed a sore throat and began vomiting repeatedly.
She also started having nosebleeds and experienced terrible chest pains before being taken to the doctor to have her symptoms checked out.
Doctors had previously told Mrs Conway that her daughter could have had food poisoning or contracted a virus.
Mrs Conway rushed Brittney to Robina Hospital after finding her unconscious and lying in a pool of blood at home several days later.
The tiara was placed in a sealed glass box attached to Brittney’s grave (photo)
The toddler underwent a nine-hour operation to remove the battery after doctors found the object in her chest during an X-ray.
She was later taken to Queensland Children’s Hospital for further surgery, but died eight days later.
Button batteries are small disc-shaped objects used to power common household items such as watches, remote controls, and toys.
If young children swallow the batteries, they may be seriously injured or even killed.
Parents of children aged 0 to 5 years are strongly urged to keep button batteries out of sight and reach.