Raina Thaiday, the mother of seven of the children and the aunt of the eighth, was charged with eight counts of murder in relation to the killings, but in 2017 was deemed unfit to stand trial by reason of insanity, following a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
[8] It was also reported that Thaiday had thrown her family's possessions onto the front lawn of the property prior to the killings, and had been observed by neighbours yelling in the street.
She was also said to have developed extreme religious views, including making public proclamations about "Papa God", and to have attended multiple churches "seeking counsel".
[10][6][11] She was subsequently moved to a mental health facility in Brisbane, with a preliminary hearing to occur in Cairns on 30 January 2015.
[14] One examining psychiatrist found that "she in some way believed she would be saving the children from the end of the world", while another found that she was in an "apocalyptic delusional state" at the time of the killings and described it as "schizophrenia at its very depth and its worst in terms of the terror for the patient, as well as the consequences for the individuals killed".
[9] As of May 2017[update], Thaiday was being held for treatment at the Park Centre for Mental Health,[15] within a secure ward.