A 39-year-old man from a sugarcane region in southern Cairns has been charged with the torture and manslaughter of a toddler, eighteen months after the child's death.
Emergency services were called to a Gordonvale home before dawn on September 27, 2021, with reports the 23-month-old boy was unresponsive.
The infant was taken to Cairns Hospital for treatment, where he later died, Queensland Police say.
Suspicious injuries were found on his face and body, police allege.
The Gordonvale man was arrested on Friday after an 18-month investigation by the Cairns Child Protection Unit under Operation Tango Comter.
He was charged with one count of torture and one count of manslaughter.
He is due in Cairns Magistrates Court on Saturday.