The driver, who picked the three-year-old boy up and later found his body, is too distressed to be interviewed by police

Cairns toddler death: driver of childcare bus taken to hospital with shock

The driver who picked up a boy from his Queensland home and later discovered his body inside a minibus is in hospital being treated for shock and is still too distraught to be interviewed by investigators.

The driver found the three-year-old’s body on Tuesday inside a Goodstart Early Learning minibus parked outside Hambledon state school in Cairns.

He had picked the boy up from his family’s home at 9.30am and found him at 3.15pm.

What happened in the intervening time is unclear, but the boy was not reported missing.

“It’s early days in the investigation at this stage and I can’t say where it will go,” Det Insp Jason Smith said on Wednesday.

Police are focusing on the movements of the bus and whether the boy was on board the entire time from when he was collected to when he was found.

Officers are combing through CCTV footage captured across the city as part of their investigation, as they track where the driver travelled for other appointments during the day.

The bus itself is one of the crime scenes.

Goodstart boss Julia Davidson, who flew to Cairns late on Tuesday, said the group’s staff were devastated and shocked by the death.

“I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family who have suffered such a tragic loss,” she said in a statement. “We will, of course, offer them all possible assistance.”

The centre at Edmonton has been closed and bus services suspended from Wednesday.

“This was not an easy decision to make as this service enables many vulnerable children to access early learning. However, we need to ensure our safety processes and procedures are the best they can be,” Davidson said.

Counselling is being provided to staff and their families while Mission Australia has offered chaplaincy support.

Detectives from the Child Protection Investigation Unit are also investigating and a report will be prepared for the coroner.