SWEET LEAH My girl was STOLEN in SEVEN MINUTES

Leah was the sunshine in everything until her dad's distraction proved deadly Shaylan Witt, 24, Brisbane, Qld

 

A dazzling ray of sunshine. That's how my new baby girl looked.

As I cradled her tiny body in the onesie adorned with yellow sunflowers, she melted my heart.

 

My husband, Daniel, then 25, smiled at our girl, and I'd never felt more complete.

To me, baby Leah was perfect in every single way.

Dating since high school, Daniel proposed to me in 2016 when I was 18. A few months later, I was pregnant with our son, Jayden.

I went back to work when Jayden was a few months old, and Daniel looked after our darling boy for six months.

We married in August 2019, when Jayden was two, and I was sure we were meant to be together for the rest of our lives.

Nearly a year on, in June 2020, we had a perfect little girl, Leah.

We were besotted with our beautiful girl. Daniel was so proud to take her out and show her off.

But the reality of having two young children took its toll. To cope, Daniel

retreated into his world of video games.

As Leah grew, her face bloomed like a sunflower and it became her nickname. And Jayden loved his sister desperately.

Juggling two children, the housework and cleaning, sometimes I felt more like Daniel's mum too.

In August 2020, I confided in my mum, Stacey, then 40.

I'm not happy,' I sighed.

'You've not been happy for a long time,' Mum said.

Back home with Daniel,

I confessed the truth. 'It's not working, I'm sorry,' I cried.

Please don't do this,' Daniel pleaded.

Sad as it was, when I moved to a new house with the children, life was much happier.