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Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre for suggested phone numbers, for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all listeners. It was just after midday on Monday, March 1, 1999 when a frantic call came through to the New South Wales Emergency Services line. A panic stricken woman was on the other line. Um, my baby's not breathing. She exclaimed. The operator asked how old the baby was. 20 months, the woman replied, her voice bordering on hysterical. She told the operator to hang on for a minute as she was in the middle of performing cpr. A moment later she reported that she couldn't get a heartbeat. The operator asked the woman if she knew what was wrong with her baby. The woman responded, but the operator wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly. She asked the woman to repeat herself. I've had three go already. The woman said. Craig Folbig had always wanted children. Having been raised in a large and loving family, he looked forward to the day he could start one of his own. That desire only intensified after Craig's mother unexpectedly died of a stroke. When Craig was a teenager and and his father subsequently remarried, Craig worked hard to save money and carve out a stable life for himself so that he'd be ready to settle down when the time was right. In 1985, Craig was enjoying a night out with friends at a Newcastle nightclub when he met a young woman named Kathleen on the dance floor. Although Kathleen was six years younger than Craig and had only recently moved out of home for the first time, he was instantly drawn to her. She had a confidence and cheekiness that he found very endearing. The two immediately hit it off and were virtually inseparable from the get go. Finding great joy in one another's company, Kathleen saw Craig as her knight in shining armour. Not only was he extremely charming with the gift of the gab, Kathleen liked that Craig came from a large and welcoming family. Having been raised in a foster family herself, she viewed family as the most important thing in life and she shared Craig's dreams of having children. The two fell head over heels in love and by 1988 they were married and living in their first home, a two bedroom weatherboard house in the north western Newcastle suburb of Mayfield. Everything seemed to be falling into place for the newly wedded Fallbigs when in May that year the Kathleen discovered she was pregnant. Although this wasn't planned, it was very exciting news for them both. Kathleen fully embraced her journey into motherhood, making changes to her diet, forbidding Craig from smoking inside and preparing the house for the baby. Her pregnancy proceeded without a hitch. She didn't even experience any morning sickness. As her due date grew closer, Craig received a compensation payout for a workplace injury he'd sustained and they able to pay off their mortgage, clearing themselves of all debt before the baby arrived. It was as good a start to married life as any couple could have hoped for. After a difficult 18 hour labour, Caleb Volbig was born on February 1, 1989. As the now 21 year old Kathleen held her baby boy for the first time, she felt a great sense of accomplishment thinking to herself I did it. This is what I'm on this planet for. Other than some slight respiratory issues that were common in newborns, Caleb passed all of his health checks with flying colours. The mother and son stayed in hospital for four days while doctors monitored Caleb and while Kathleen recovered from some complications caused by the epidural she'd been given. When they were allowed to go home, the new parents set Caleb up in his nursery in the sun room next to their bedroom and settled into their new routine as a family of three. Kathleen had some trouble breastfeeding so opted to bottle feed Caleb instead. All was going well but she was a little concerned about the way he was feeding. It looked like he was having trouble breathing through his nose while sucking on the bottle. As though he couldn't breathe and drink at the same time. When Caleb was two and a half weeks old, Kathleen took him to see a paediatrician who concluded that he had a floppy larynx which was causing strida upon inhalation. In other words, he was a noisy breather. The paediatrician assured Kathleen that it was a very common and mild problem that would resolve itself over time. A couple of days later, on Sunday, February 19, Craig had the day off from his relatively new job at a local car yard and he took Kathleen and Caleb to visit his brother who lived nearby. It was an enjoyable day and Caleb fell asleep in the car. On the drive home at 8pm, Kathleen dressed Caleb for bed and gave him a bottle before putting him down in his cane bassinet in the nursery. Although it was summer, their house was draughty overnight, so Kathleen wrapped Caleb in his bunny rug and covered him with a white blanket. She and Craig stayed up for a bit longer before kissing Caleb goodnight and going to bed themselves at around 10 o'. Clock. Caleb typically woke up every three or four hours overnight and it was Kathleen's job to tend to him. She would wake up the second she heard his cries and feed him in the lounge room before settling him back to sleep in his bassinet. Craig had always been an incredibly heavy sleeper and he never even stirred during these nighttime feedings. But at around 2:50am on Monday, February 20, Craig was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of Kathleen screaming. My baby. She cried. Something is wrong with my baby. Craig jumped out of bed and raced into the nursery. Kathleen was standing over Caleb's bassinet, holding her hands to her forehead and screaming. Craig ran to the bassinet and saw Caleb lying on his back, still wrapped in his bunny rug, his eyes closed and his lips blue. He frantically picked Caleb up and started giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation, but as he hadn't been formally trained, he wasn't exactly sure what to do. He told Kathleen to call an ambulance and then carried Caleb into the lounge room. Caleb's small body was still warm as Craig hurriedly laid him on the couch and continued blowing into his mouth. Ambulance officers arrived at the folbeaks home at 2:59am and asked Craig and Kathleen to leave the room while they worked on their son. They established that Caleb was in a state of cardiac arrest and was no longer conscious or breathing for 39 minutes. They did everything they could to try and resuscitate the 19 day old, but it was too late. Caleb was already dead. The ambulance officers told the clearly devastated parents to hold their baby boy one last time while declaring the likely cause of his death to be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, commonly known as sids. Sids, which is sometimes referred to as cot death, is not technically a cause of death, but is the term used for the unexpected Death of an otherwise healthy baby when no other cause can be found. Incidence of SIDS typically occur while the baby is asleep and it is most common in those aged between one month and six months old, with the majority of all cases occurring in the first 12 months of life. While certain risk factors, such as premature birth, unsafe sleep practices or smoking during pregnancy can increase the chances of sids, there is no way to prevent it completely. Little was known about SIDS at the time of Caleb's death and exactly what causes it remains unknown to this day. Kathleen said she'd gotten up to feed Caleb shortly before 2am and he'd been completely fine. She put him back to sleep in his bassinet before returning to bed herself, but had stirred awake again shortly after. She rose to check on Caleb again, but as soon as she entered the nursery she noticed that she couldn't hear him breathing. When she placed her hand on his chest, she couldn't feel it rising. Everything from that moment on was a blur. Caleb's autopsy didn't explain his death. The forensic pathologist found him to be well nourished, well developed and well cared for. There were no signs of injury, no obstructions in his airways and no evidence that his floppy larynx played any role in his passing. With nothing else to attribute it to, the pathologist confirmed that Caleb Volbig had died from sids. Craig and Kathleen did the best they could to accept their tragic loss. They met with a grief counsellor and tried to accept that nothing they did had contributed to Caleb's death. A representative from a SIDS organisation told them there was no reason not to try for another baby, explaining that it was incredibly rare that such a thing would happen again. Craig and Kathleen both dealt with their grief in different ways. While Craig fell into a deep pit of despair and struggled to face the outside world, Kathleen preferred to keep herself busy and get on with things. After being advised that there was a higher rate of SIDS among those of lower socioeconomic status and that environmental factors could also play a role, the couple got to work renovating their house. They made improvements to the run down and drafty nursery, bought high quality bedding, repainted and re carpeted the home and put new blinds in. While all this was going on, Kathleen discovered she was pregnant again. The couple was excited, yet apprehensive. They hadn't planned on having another baby so soon, but they also felt they'd taken all the right steps to ensure the same thing wouldn't happen again and were thankful to have a second chance at a family on June 3, 1990, just 15 and a half months after Caleb's death, Kathleen and Craig welcomed another son. A blond haired blue eyed boy they named Patrick. Like his brother, Patrick was born at full term and passed all his health checks. He had no problems feeding or breathing. But given what happened to Caleb, Patrick underwent a sleep study when he was a week and a half old. It came back entirely normal. As far as the doctors were concerned. There was no medical reason for the Fallbigs to worry. Craig was ecstatic. Regretful of how little time he'd had with Caleb, he quit his job so he could spend as much time as possible with his new son. Instead of sleeping in the sun room, Patrick was given the renovated bedroom towards the back of their house. Although it was a bit further from his parents room, it was warmer and more secure again. Kathleen took responsibility for the nighttime wakes and by the time Patrick was three months old he was sleeping well and only waking up once in the middle of the night for a quick feed before going straight back to sleep until morning. Craig was so relieved by how positively Patrick was thriving that when he was offered a job at the Holden dealership five minutes from their home home, he accepted. By Wednesday, October 17, 1990, he'd been in the new job for three days and was adjusting to his new routine. Patrick was recovering from a slight cold but was otherwise healthy and well. Kathleen put him to bed in his cot at around 8:30pm and Craig went in a couple of hours later to kiss him goodnight before retiring to bed himself. As always, Craig slept soundly, oblivious to the nighttime activity in his home. But at around 4:30am he was once again awoken by the sound of Kathleen's blood curdling scream. Craig threw off his covers and raced into Patrick's room. Kathleen was standing over the cot screaming. Patrick was lying on his back with his eyes closed, his lips blue and his body limp. Craig scooped him up and yelled at Kathleen to call an ambulance. He held the infant to his ear and to his great relief he could hear the faintest sound of laboured breathing. Despite what had happened to Caleb, Craig still hadn't formally learned cpr. But the SIDS representative had taught him how to properly give mouth to mouth resuscitation. He immediately leapt into action until the ambulance arrived. Patrick was rushed to the hospital where Kathleen told the doctors that he had woken up at around midnight as per usual. She'd gone in to give him his bottle before settling him back to sleep. Later on she heard him coughing and went in to check on him. But all appeared to be well so she went back to bed again. It was only when she got up to go to the toilet later on that she noticed what sounded like Patrick gasping for air. The doctors administered Patrick with oxygen and to the relief of everyone in the emergency room, his eyes shot open and he started to cry. Slowly, his skin returned to its regular colour and his oxygen levels returned to normal. It was determined that Patrick had suffered what's known as an apparent life threatening event or alti. The doctors could find no reason for it. They conducted various tests and found no evidence of disease, infections or injury to explain his respiratory distress. Whatever the cause, the lack of oxygen to Patrick's brain had been catastrophic. While he was recovering in hospital, he had numerous seizures and a CT scan revealed signs of brain damage. The seizures continued over the following weeks, leading to Patrick being diagnosed with epilepsy. After further testing, the doctors broke the news to Kathleen and Craig that Patrick was also officially blind. From that point onwards, family life changed. For the fall bigs Kathleen devoted her time to shuffling Patrick between various specialist appointments, consultations with the Blind association and administering his medication. She brought him to occupational therapists and sought professional guidance about how to teach him to eat, drink and crawl. She and Craig monitored Patrick closely in case he had another seizure. It was hard work, but they were just so relieved that Patrick had survived that they were willing to do whatever it took to give him the happy and full life he deserved. As 1990 drew to a close, Patrick was admitted to hospital on three separate occasions after having further seizures. But overall he seemed to be responding well to his treatments and was becoming a spirited and determined little boy. The Folbigs were still adjusting to their new normal when the phone rang at Craig's work on the morning of Wednesday, February 13, 1991. Kathleen was on the other line screaming. It's happened again. She cried. Craig thought she meant that Patrick was having another seizure, but Kathleen explained that she'd put Patrick down for a nap and had later walked past his room only to notice that he was lying on his back. This was odd because she always laid him down on his side. She said that at first she thought he'd had another seizure, but then she realised he wasn't breathing. Craig immediately raced home, beating the ambulance, which was delayed due to roadworks in the area. When he walked in, Kathleen was hysterical, covering her face with her hands and sobbing. 8 month old Patrick was still lying in his cot, slightly warm to the touch. His lips were blue and his body was limp again. Craig scooped him up and placed him on the lounge room floor, kneeling over his little body as he tried to resuscitate him. The ambulance officers finally arrived and took over. They rushed Patrick to the hospital, where doctors worked desperately for 20 minutes before declaring the unthinkable. Craig and Kathleen Folbig had lost another child. Unlike with Caleb, the cause of Patrick's death was a little clearer. An autopsy determined he had suffered from an epileptic seizure that caused obstruction to his airways and cardiac arrest. Patrick's small body was cremated and interred with his brother while his devastated parents tried to come to terms with what had happened. Patrick's death took a huge toll on the Folbigs marriage. Consumed by grief, Craig felt unable to function or face the world and he eventually lost his job. He preferred to spend time alone, hanging out in his garage or with the young son of their next door neighbour. Kathleen blamed herself for what happened and felt as though she had failed as a mother. She had no drive to do anything. But she did find some comfort in the fact that doctors had found a valid reason for Patrick's death. Having had the first three years of their marriage steeped in tragedy, Kathleen, who was only 23 at this point, was eager for a fresh start. Wanting to free herself from the constant reminders of her children's deaths, she told Craig she wanted to move. She also accepted a job as a sales assistant at Babyco, a retail store that specialised in supplies for expectant mothers and newborns. Craig couldn't understand how Kathleen could possibly handle being around pregnant women and babies so soon after Patrick's death, but she saw it as exposure therapy. The sooner she got out there, the sooner life might return to normal. The Folbigs sold their home and moved to Thornton, an inland suburb 25 kilometres northwest of Newcastle. As the months passed, Craig still felt no desire to see anyone or do anything. It became a source of contention for the couple, with Kathleen insisting they needed to get on with their lives. Eventually, Craig found a new job as a used car salesman and did his best to join his wife on social outings. He craved another chance at fatherhood, but was so traumatised by what had happened to Caleb and Patrick that he could barely stand the thought. If there was one thing he was certain of, he never wanted to hear that scream come out of Kathleen's mouth again. By the end of 1991, 10 months had passed since Patrick's death. After all the changes they'd made to their lives, Kathleen told Craig she was ready to try for another baby. While she understood the potential for pain. She wanted to be a mother more than anything else and was willing to take the risk. Despite his innate desire, Craig was full of doubts. There were simply too many unanswered questions and he feared what would happen to their marriage if they were faced with another blow. They spent a week talking and mulling it over before Craig agreed to give it another shot. As long as they sought expert medical advice from the moment the baby was born. Kathleen happily agreed and By February of 1992, she was pregnant for the third time. At 6:30am on Wednesday, October 14, the 25 year old gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Sarah. This time the Fulbigs weren't taking any chances. Craig and Kathleen had both been trained in CPR and they'd utilised the help of the SIDS organisation through which they were given an apnoea blanket to use on Sarah. The blanket was fitted with an alarm that was designed to go off anytime a lack of movement was detected after a set period of time. Sarah's health was closely monitored by doctors. She was subjected to a sleep study at 3 weeks old that showed nothing of concern. However, a doctor later noticed some slight abnormalities in her breathing and prescribed a drug to help open up her airways, just to be on the safe side. As the weeks passed, Sarah developed normally, but Kathleen was getting very little sleep. Not only was Sarah a catnapper who only slept for short periods during the day and woke regularly throughout the night, the apnoea blanket incessantly produced false alarms that jolted Kathleen out of bed and filled her with anxiety. Being the deep sleeper that he was, Craig slept through the false alarms and provided no overnight relief. The first few months of Sarah's life were difficult for Kathleen. The car dealership Craig was now working at was an hour's drive from their home and he typically worked long hours, leaving at seven in the morning and not returning until seven or eight o' clock at night. This left Kathleen home alone to take care of the domestic duties on very little sleep with a baby who could be fussy and strong willed. She was also finding it difficult to bond with Sarah, terrified of getting too close in case she lost her too. Kathleen felt like she needed a break, but she didn't trust anyone other than Craig to look after their daughter. No one else understood how the apnea blanket worked and she didn't feel safe leaving her with anyone unless they were trained in cpr. Eventually, Kathleen started working weekends at Babyco again to regain a little bit of independence. By the time Sarah was 10 months old in August 1993, the family had found their groove. With 80% of all SIDS related deaths occurring before the age of 6 months, the Folbigs felt they could slightly let their guards down. They'd stopped using the apnoea blanket and Sarah had taken to co sleeping with Craig while Kathleen slept in the spare room. While they all slept better this way, Kathleen was eager to get Sarah used to sleeping in her own bed. She still didn't feel comfortable with Sarah being alone at night. So the decision was made to move Sarah's single bed into Kathleen and Craig's bedroom. This way she'd be close enough to her parents for them to monitor her while also learning to sleep independently. On Sunday, August 29, the family enjoyed a relaxing day out. They went to the beach, visited Craig's brother and then took Sarah to the playground for the first time. Although she was recovering from a cold with a bad cough, Sarah had an absolute ball and her parents loved seeing her in her element. That night they completed the usual routine, dinner, bath and playtime before it was time for Sarah to go to bed. Despite the lovely day they'd had, night times could still put Kathleen on edge. She'd worked hard to establish a night routine with a consistent bedtime and it frustrated her that Craig didn't take it as seriously as she did. He often got Sarah riled up right before bed, making it more difficult to settle her down for sleep that night. Sarah was having so much fun mucking around with her dad that she got upset when Kathleen tried to put her to bed. The more Sarah refused to go to sleep, the more frustrated Kathleen became. Craig was sitting in the lounge room and he heard Sarah crying and grizzling from the bedroom. He also heard a loud growl come from Kathleen. It was a sound he'd heard before. She often made it during times of great frustration, particularly when enforcing bedtime. Craig went to check on things and found Kathleen cradling Sarah in a bear hug while patting her hard on the bottom in an effort to soothe her to sleep. He told Kathleen to mellow out and let Sarah be. This just fuelled Kathleen's anger. She told Craig to get out before stomping down the hall and thrusting a cryer Sarah into his arms, snapping, you fucking deal with her. Craig was alarmed by Kathleen's reaction. He calmed Sarah down and eventually she fell asleep in his arms on the couch. At 11pm he settled her into her bed in their bedroom, kissed her goodnight and went to sleep himself. Kathleen was in bed already, either asleep or ignoring him. Craig drifted off, but at 1:34am he was jolted awake by that sound he had never wanted to hear again as long as he lived. Kathleen's blood curdling scream. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. After the holiday chaos, cooking can feel like one more task you don't have time to think about. Home Chef makes it easy to get back into a routine without relying on takeout. Fresh ingredients and simple recipes are delivered straight to your door. The meals are balanced, straightforward and they actually taste great. They've even worked with chefs like Gordon Ramsay to bring restaurant quality recipes right into your home. You can choose classic meals, quick 30 minute options, oven ready trays or simple microwave lunches. 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