Owner of the Mooroopna house where a little boy was found dead in a car boot breaks her silence – as she reveals tragic new details about the ‘freak accident’

A little boy found dead in the boot of a car in regional Victoria had attended a traditional Christmas gathering with his family at a friend’s home.

It is believed the 10-year-old did that took the keys and got into the boot of the car parked on Gange Street in Mooroopna, 180 km north of MelbourneSunday at 3:30 PM.

The owner of that home, who did not want to be named, told Daily Mail Australia her family had routinely gathered at her home with her friend’s family.

On Monday, the Gange Street property continued to resemble a children’s playground, with swings, slides and a booth among a wealth of play equipment visible in the front yard.

Two toddlers continued to play in the garden, where their little buddy had tragically died the day before.

The woman said her friend was too distraught to talk about what happened and asked to be left alone.

She declined to speculate on whether the boy might become stuck in the trunk while playing hide-and-seek with her children.

“Yeah, well, I can’t talk about that. She told me not to say anything,” the woman said.

‘I try to respect her. It was just a tragic accident. It’s just terrible.’

Although she was gagged from speaking, the woman said it was important for people to know her friend had done nothing wrong.

‘If it was my child, I would talk. “I would tell you what I know because I would hate for anyone to ever think the worst of someone who is doing their best for their child,” she said.

‘It was a freak accident. It was the worst…the weather didn’t help.’

The temperature rose to 35 degrees Celsius in the region on Sunday and reached 40 degrees Celsius on Monday.

Victoria Police have confirmed the incident is being treated as nothing more than a tragic accident and a report must be prepared for the coroner.

The woman said she would now be forever haunted by the once idyllic view of her children’s playground.

‘This is my home. It happened here and now I have to see this horrible scene in my head every day, that’s the worst,” she said.

The woman said it was not unusual for her friend to visit her at her home on weekends.

“That’s what we always do,” she said.

The front yard of the house remained littered with children’s play equipment

It is understood the child’s mother was resting when she later discovered her keys were missing.

She went to the car and discovered that the child had died of cardiac arrest after being trapped for “a few hours.” Herald Sun reported.

The boy had a great interest in cars.

A resident said they heard screams from the street and rushed to help.

“Don’t go there,” another neighbor told them.

A second resident said they were told the boy had been in the trunk for “a few hours.”

Another local resident described the scene as ‘very sad’.

“Kids in cars is not a good mix,” they said.

An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said the child is believed to have died of a heart condition.