Overview
- Court testimony detailed that Warnecke delivered at home in Seaford without a doctor or midwife present, attended by her husband and birth support worker Emily Lal.
- She deteriorated after passing the placenta, an ambulance was called around 4:13 a.m., and she died later at Frankston Hospital despite efforts by 24 clinicians.
- Doctors attempted a balloon to stem bleeding and performed an emergency hysterectomy, and the hospital exhausted its supply of her blood type during transfusions.
- Counsel said she largely declined prenatal care, with her choices shaped by skepticism of COVID-19 mandates and a preference for a low‑chemical lifestyle.
- Police reported the home was extensively cleaned and that Lal refused a statement; she is under investigation and temporarily banned by the Health Complaints Commissioner, and the case returns to court in March with a possible inquest under consideration.