Victorian Inquest: Phone Data Challenges Birthkeeper's Account of Stacey Warnecke's Death

A Victorian coroner heard on Monday that forensic analysis of a deceased mother's phone records directly contradicts the testimony given by her birthkeeper, potentially opening the door for criminal charges. The inquest into the death of Stacey Warnecke resumed after a delay caused by the completion of this digital evidence review.

Warnecke, a 30-year-old nutritionist and wellness influencer, died in September 2025 at Frankston hospital in Melbourne. She had given birth at home with birthkeeper Emily Lal by her side. Warnecke paid Lal $6,000 for support during her pregnancy. The home birth ended in a postpartum haemorrhage, a condition that led to her death hours after she was rushed to the hospital.

Lal previously told the court in June that she served primarily as a supportive friend rather than a clinical guide. She stated that the fees covered her time, not medical advice, and that she did not feel responsible for making the birth safer or calling an ambulance unless explicitly asked. She described her role as pulling hair back and wiping foreheads, drawing from her own experience of freebirthing her children.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Rachel Ellyard, presented the new phone evidence on Monday. The analysis revealed a WhatsApp group chat coordinated by Lal for women choosing freebirth. It also included a recorded call between Warnecke and Lal. During that call, Warnecke expressed fear of the hospital, and Lal responded, "You should be scared of the hospital." Lal described the hospital as a terrifying place and emphasized the need for a solid mindset to stay home.

Ellyard argued that the digital record showed Lal viewed her role as grooming clients to resist medical help. "Ms Lal saw her role as to groom her clients into being strong enough to resist the temptation to seek medical help during labor," Ellyard said. The evidence suggested Lal believed that going to hospital represented a failure for someone who had not done the necessary work.

The phone data also indicated that Lal provided structured advice, referrals, and supplements. Ellyard stated this was inconsistent with the informal, friendly role Lal described in her testimony. "This is all quite inconsistent with the idea of just being a friend who pulls your hair back and wipes your forehead," Ellyard said. She noted that Warnecke placed considerable trust in Lal, viewing her as an expert capable of keeping her safe.

Lal was invited to return to court to address the new evidence but declined. She had previously given testimony under a certificate of protection, which prevents her evidence from being used against her in future proceedings. Ellyard told coroner Therese McCarthy that it would be open to her to find that Lal committed perjury regarding the falsity of her evidence and to refer her to the Office of Public Prosecutions.

The inquest heard that after Warnecke delivered the placenta, she lost up to 1.5 litres of blood and began struggling to breathe. Lal asked Warnecke three times if she wanted an ambulance called. Warnecke agreed on the third attempt, but paramedics arrived to find her seriously unwell. The hospital exhausted its blood supply attempting to save her before she died from related complications.

Ellyard stated that Warnecke would have survived if she had been in a hospital setting, where postpartum haemorrhage is a common and treatable complication. She also noted that Warnecke would likely have survived if a registered midwife had been present at the home birth. The coroner will deliver her final findings at a later date.