This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, Esther Arunga, a former KTN anchor, was finally reunited with her two daughters after a five-year separation.
Arunga's custody of her daughters was lost after the tragic death of her three-year-old son Sinclair Timberlake.
She was sentenced to a 10-month jail term over the boy's death but was immediately freed on parole.
Arunga's two Australian-born daughters were placed in foster care after the death of their sibling.
Brisbane Supreme Court Justice Martin Burns showed sympathy towards Arunga's situation, stating that she had suffered a 'great deal' during the five years since her son's death.
He noted that Arunga had gone from being a wife and mother to losing her son, husband, and daughters, and that her cultural beliefs were a factor in initially misleading police.
Arunga had pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact to manslaughter, citing her fear of being alone and her husband's illness as reasons for not speaking up earlier.
