Schoolgirl, 10, and stepmother identified after car plunged into a dam

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By JOANNA HYNDS FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA 01:28 10 Oct 2026, updated 03:51 10 Oct 2026

A primary school girl and her stepmother have been identified as the two passengers found dead inside a car submerged in a dam on a rural Queensland property.

Emergency services were called to Springvale Road in Tinana South, south of Maryborough, just before 5.30pm on Thursday following reports a blue Subaru Tribeca had driven into the water.

Arliyah James, 10, and her stepmother, Lisa, 36, were found dead inside the vehicle despite her father and a local farmer’s desperate attempts to save them.

The young girl’s devastated mother, Sarah Gorman, has paid tribute to her ‘beautiful blue-eyed, blonde-haired princess’.

Ms Gorman shared an emotional tribute to Arliyah on Friday, remembering her as their ‘wild child’ who filled the family’s lives with love.

‘The one who kept me on my toes and made all our hearts burst with love,’ she told The Courier-Mail.

‘Love you all the way below the fishes and all the way up, up above with the clouds, where you now are, our lil angel.

‘My heart will forever be missing its beat, my baby. I love you so much. I’m so sorry, my baby.’

It is understood the pair were on their way to Maryborough to collect other children from school when the car veered off the road, smashed through a fence and plunged into a dam on a neighbouring property.

Arliyah’s father, Steve James, reportedly began searching for them after the school contacted him to say the children had not been collected.

He discovered the vehicle upside down in the dam, prompting a nearby farmer to rush into the water in a desperate attempt to rescue his daughter and partner.

Farmer Joel Hinschen, 45, said he had been working on his property when he discovered the car.

‘I got in the water and pulled them both out of the car,’ he told ABC News on Friday.

Mr Hinschen called Triple Zero before entering the neck-high water.

His father reportedly began performing CPR on Arliyah until firefighters arrived and took over.

Maryborough Patrol Group Inspector Paul Algie praised Mr Hinschen’s bravery, describing him as a hero.

‘That property owner is a hero,’ he said.

‘What he did was incredibly brave and incredibly traumatic, given that the lady’s partner was right with him at the time,’ Mr Algie said.

Arliyah’s relative, Summah Brakenridge, also paid tribute to the young girl, remembering her as full of life.

‘She was full of life, she was the most beautiful big smile, full of energy,’ she said.

‘Just an absolutely down-to-earth, beautiful little girl. That will never be forgotten.’

Flowers have since been left near the dam in tribute to Arliyah and Lisa.

Queensland Police’s Forensic Crash Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, including whether speed or driver inattention may have contributed.

Police have urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam or CCTV footage of the vehicle in the lead-up to the crash to come forward.

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