A 70-year-old woman has died after being stabbed in the chest in front of her granddaughter at a shopping centre car park near Brisbane. Detectives investigating the homicide have arrested a 15-year-old boy in relation to the incident, with three other suspects yet to be found.
Emergency services were called to the Redbank Plains car park in Ipswich around 6.30pm on Saturday following reports of the stabbing.
Attempts to revive the woman, identified as Vyleen White, were unsuccessful and she died at the scene a short time later. Her six-year-old granddaughter, who witnessed the attack, was assessed at the scene, but wasn’t physically injured.
Police have confirmed White sustained life-threatening injuries in an armed robbery, calling the scene “confronting”.
At a press conference on Sunday, Detective Acting Superintendent Heath McQueen said the woman had been grocery shopping and was near her car when the random attack occurred.
“It’s an abhorrent, cowardly violent attack on a 70-year-old grandmother in front of her six-year-old granddaughter,” said McQueen.
“It’s extremely confronting to watch, it’s extremely confronting for first-responding officers and bystanders who intervened.”
On Sunday, police released CCTV footage of the incident and images of the four persons of interest they wish to question in relation to the murder.
Footage shows White’s car being driven from the shopping centre following the stabbing, with four individuals exiting the car.
At around 9.30pm on Sunday, a 15-year-old Ripley boy presented to Ipswich Police Station. He has been charged with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle in relation to the alleged stolen car, and is expected to appear at Ipswich Children’s Court today (February 5). The three others depicted in the CCTV footage remain outstanding.
“This is a significant investigation and I want to thank the community of Ipswich in the last 24 hours,” McQueen said on Sunday, noting that apprehending the offender and ensuring the community feels safe is of the utmost importance to the police.
Floral tributes have been left outside the Queensland shopping centre for the “beloved” grandmother. White’s daughter spoke to 9News, describing her as the light of their family and that she was “the most loving, compassionate and caring person you could ever meet.
A former religious education teacher and worker in wiring electrical motors, White was on the verge of celebrating 50 years of marriage.
Her daughter has said their family wants justice for their loved one so that nobody else has to go through such a tragedy.
One of the witnesses and local, Emmanuella George told 9News she now felt unsafe after news of the murder and that “this type of stuff doesn’t happen in this area”.
This is a common response heard by journalists following violent attacks on women throughout Australia, and highlights the disconnect between community attitudes of the all too prevalent rates of violence against women.
Statistics from ANROWS in Canberra, the National Community Attitudes Survey (NCAS), show that while 91 per cent of Australians believe violence against women is a problem in Australia, only 47 per cent of respondents believe it is a problem in their own suburb or town.
White is among six women who’ve been killed by violence in Australia this year, according to Destroy the Joint statistics. In 2023, the harrowing number came to sixty-four women killed.
Investigations into White’s murder are ongoing, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
“Now is the time to step up and come forward and provide us with information about who the offender is,” said McQueen.
Ipswich district officer superintendent Kylie Rigg said police had already begun increasing patrols and visibility around the area and would continue to do so to help restore community confidence and safety.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting or call 131 444.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.