1 month ago
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January 21, 2026 — 5:39pm
A Victorian mother accused of leaving her children home alone minutes before a bedroom fire killed two of them has been released back into the community, despite police alleging she breached her bail conditions 14 times.
Shania Lee, 27, was charged with two counts of negligent manslaughter and one of negligently causing serious injury, and granted bail in September, a year after a fire broke out at a single storey home on Fergus Court in Sydenham, about 9.30pm.
Three of her children – five-year-old Izabel, three-year-old Kalais and 21-month-old Lyvia – had been left home alone. Only Kalais survived the fire.
Lee was rearrested on Tuesday after police allege she stopped complying with her bail conditions, shortly before Christmas, by failing to report to police or reside at her bail address in Moama with her mother.
Instead, police allege she had been couch-surfing across the western suburbs of Melbourne before failing to appear at court last week. A warrant was then issued for her arrest.
The court heard she handed herself in Melbourne West police station on Tuesday.
Her co-accused and then partner Matthew McAuliffe, who was also initially charged over the fire, died by suicide in October weeks after he was released on bail.
During her application for bail in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, police revealed they were currently unable to say how a fatal fire began.
Arson and explosive squad detectives have recently called in a university professor who specialises in fire remodelling to help reconstruct the scene for the first time in the police unit’s history, to work out if the fire was lit before or after Lee and McAuliffe left the Sydenham home in September 2024.
The court heard a smoke alarm in the house activated two minutes and 15 seconds after Lee and McCulliffe drove away from the scene.
Detective Senior Constable Chris Mitchell said a further report had been sought from Victoria University Professor Khalid Moinuddin in the hope of clarifying the timeline of the fire.
“We’re trying to work out the fire behaviour. The timeline for this matter is quite significant. It’s a short amount of time for … smoke to escape a closed bedroom,” Mitchell said.
“We’re trying to get help to work out how long a fire would be going for before smoke left the room and activated the smoke alarm.”
Lee appeared in court sporting dyed red hair and a black T-shirt to apply for bail.
There, Mitchell said police believed since her release on bail in September, Lee had been staying in the western suburbs and commuting back to Echuca police station to report before Christmas, with phone data placing her in areas including Altona, Werribee, Point Cook, and Caroline Springs.
This, Mitchell said, was “in striking distance” to the address of her new partner Riley Kellett who has a criminal record of concern to police.
Court documents released to the press show police allege Lee breached her bail conditions 14 times between November 11 and January 12.
She had also been charged over an alleged aggravated burglary committed two months after the deaths of her children.
“Was she living in Moama as she was supposed to be?” Magistrate Olivia Trumble asked.
“She wasn’t. I’ve compiled a list of the breaches,” Mitchell replied.
Mitchell said there was also CCTV footage showing Lee with a car sporting stolen number plates while on bail which was later used to evade police. No charges have been laid.
“It’s an educated opinion of mine that people who drive around with stolen plates aren’t going to the shops to get groceries,” Mitchell.
“Active intelligence at a time suggested Lee was getting involved in high risk offending including pursuits with police, possessing a firearm, associating with Mr Kellett at the time, also was dealing drugs and consuming drugs too.”
In September, the court heard Lee told police she had made arrangements via Snapchat for Kalais’ biological father, Jayde Petalas, to look after the children. However, Petalas told police Lee had not contacted him.
Investigators alleged at a hearing in September that Lee watched footage from a home security camera on her phone while she was away from the house and heard the children screaming, but did not call Triple Zero.
On Wednesday, defence lawyer Nick Jane pointed out that police had been unable to ascertain how the fatal house fire started with no evidence it had been deliberately lit.
The court heard a police report discussing three possibilities including ignition using matches or a cigarette lighter, an electrical issue with a television or discarded cigarette butts.
The fire started in the master bedroom of the home with the door closed.
The report, the court heard, found a lighter was the “most likely” cause of the fire.
During the investigation into the deaths, Mitchell said police unearthed prison phone calls where McAuliffe spoke to others about the incident.
“A lot of that is him saying he’ll tell the police exactly what happened,” Jane said.
Jane suggested it was possible Lee had been in a difficult emotional state at the time she stopped reporting as it coincided with the birthdate of her late daughter Lyvia and Christmas.
Trumble granted Lee bail, noting she had stable accommodation and would be offered bail support.
The magistrate also accepted there would likely be a delay in the case getting to trial with police still waiting on expert reports.
Trumble also tightened Lee’s bail conditions after police conceded this could reduce her risk of reoffending.
Lee must now live at a property in Altona, report to police three times a week, and comply with a nightly curfew.
The matter is expected to return to court next month.
