Police are investigating whether cannibalism was a factor in the death of a four-year-old boy, as his mother is charged with murder.

A 32-year-old woman visited Wyong Police Station, on the NSW Central Coast, at 4.40pm on Saturday.

Officers then conducted a welfare check at a unit on Byron Street where they discovered the dead boy who had significant injuries to his arm.

The mother was later charged with murder (domestic violence). 

Police sources told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that cannibalism was being investigated as a possible factor.

Superintendent Chad Gillies described the scene as ‘extremely confronting’.

‘It’s been confirmed the child had injuries. I am not going to speculate further on what those injuries are,’ he said at a press conference.

He said the child and woman were the only occupants at the unit.

Police are investigating whether cannibalism was a factor in the death of a four-year-old boy – as his mother is charged with murder

Officers then conducted a welfare check at a unit on Byron Street where they discovered the dead boy who had significant injuries to his arm

Officers conducted a welfare check at a unit on Byron Street where they discovered the dead boy who had significant injuries to his arm

‘There is a domestic relationship to the child… the 32-year-old female and the four-year-old child lived at the unit together,’ Superintendent Gillies said. 

He added the woman was known to police. 

The 32-year-old woman did not appear in court for a bail hearing.

The matter will return to court on September 1. 

The woman and the boy cannot be identified for legal reasons. 

Superintendent Gillies said detectives would ‘methodically’ investigate the case. 

‘We try to understand what’s happened, why it’s happened, and from my perspective, we owe that to that little boy to make sure that we get the exact circumstances and present them to the court in due course,’ he said.