The haunting family plan for the funeral of tragic new mum Jana Armstrong that will break your heart

By KARLEIGH SMITH - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 10:36, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 10:40, 6 August 2026 A woman allegedly strangled to death and dumped in the bush by the father of her newborn baby will be laid to rest on Friday. Queensland Police allege woman Jana Armstrong, 30, was murdered by Toowoomba taxi driver Dharminder Singh, 49, the father of her four-month-old son Deshal. Now, almost exactly a month on from Ms Armstrong's disappearance, her sister Faith Isaacs, who is now the guardian of Deshal, is finally preparing for her funeral. Ms Isaacs told the Daily Mail that Ms Armstrong will be buried on Friday alongside the parents she cared for most of her life, until they both died tragically young within a few years of each other. Mum and dad Ronald and Robyn Armstrong grew up in Millmerran, 80km south-west of Toowoomba, where they are now buried. Ms Armstrong, a support care worker, spent her youth looking after Ronald, who was deaf, and Robyn, who had cerebral palsy. Ronald died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2021, aged just 56, while his wife was 51 when she 'passed peacefully, surrounded by her family' in 2019. Ms Isaacs, 26, told the Daily Mail that her big sister had taken the lead on their parents' care, and had largely managed their funerals.  Faith, left, shared a new picture of herself with sister Jana ahead of her funeral Jana was mother to four-month-old Deshal, who is the son of the man accused of her murder Toowoomba maxi-taxi driver Dharminder Singh was charged with domestic violence murder In the days after Ms Armstrong's tragic death, she admitted wishing Jana was still alive to help Faith plan Jana's own funeral. 'Jana was our rock,' Ms Isaacs said.  'Even organising this funeral, I look over [for her] because she was always the one who would run the show, take charge and say it how it was 'Now, there's no one pointing me in the right direction.' A funeral notice inviting family and friends to Ms Armstrong's service at the Millmerran Cultural Centre described her as 'tragically taken'. The ceremony will be livestreamed by Toowoomba-based Burstows Funeral Care.  She was reported missing on July 8 when her white Hyundai SUV was found abandoned near her home, with the doors unlocked and a child's car seat in the back. Deshal was quickly located at Ms Armstrong's unit with his father, 49-year-old Singh.  Jana will be buried alongside her late parents, Ronald and Robyn, in Millmerran The 30-year-old will be laid to rest at Millmerran, where her parents grew up A funeral notice has invited family and friends only to the service, which will be livestreamed After an extensive search, pig hunters found her body in bushland down an embankment off rural Esk-Hampton Road, an hour north of the south-east Queensland city.  Hours later, police swooped on Singh and charged him with domestic violence murder. Jana's death, as well as those of her parents, were not the first tragedies to strike the close-knit Armstrong family. In May, Ms Isaacs and her husband Michael welcomed their second child, a baby girl named Lehara. But she died due to birth complications, and her aunt Jana helped the devastated parents plan the infant's funeral.  After the string of premature deaths within the family, Jana and Faith had recently made a pact that if one died, the other would help raise her son. 'Just because Jana and I are quite well aware of how unexpected life can be, and how short life can be,' Ms Isaacs told reporters. The 'inseparable' sisters' pledge was made around the funeral of Lehara on June 8.  Faith Isaacs, who recently lost her own baby, is now the guardian to her sister's little boy Faith and her husband Michael took Deshal to his father's first court appearance last month Last month, Ms Isaacs shared a new picture of herself with her sister in formalwear with a heartbreaking caption. 'I’m still trying to navigate my grief after losing my beautiful baby girl, and now holding my nephew in my arms, while grieving the loss of my best friend and sister. It’s a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone,' she said. Ms Armstrong's care for her wheelchair-bound mother may have led her to meet Singh, the maxi-taxi driver who fathered her son and is accused of her murder.  Singh was married to a Toowoomba woman and had two children at the time, but he still struck up a relationship with Ms Armstrong in recent years.  Sources within the local disabled community said she had met Singh while using his maxi taxi to transport her mother, as well as other care clients. Wheelchair-bound passengers would be situated in the rear, while their care workers sat in the front seat alongside the driver. Faith confirmed 'Dharm' had 'wooed' her sister, who was 'looking to be loved after a marriage breakdown. 'Dharm looked very different four years ago,' she said, referring to his dishevelled appearance when a 7News team approached him after an unrelated court appearance when Ms Armstrong vanished. According to locals, Singh would 'woo' care workers into using his maxi taxi 'Jana was married. She was then divorced. Then she lost our mum and dad. I think she wanted to be loved, and she was an easy target,' Faith said. She said 'all the bloody taxi drivers' are charming when it comes to support care workers who have 'plenty of clients needing taxis'. 'They have to woo you and win you over. They're all very money-driven. I suppose [Singh] knew how to be charming. I have used him [as a driver], and the very first time I used him, he gave me a present, which I thought was f***ing weird.' Despite fathering her child, Ms Isaacs insisted her sister and the cabbie were never really 'together' - and that she attempted to remove him from her life once she fell pregnant. 'I would describe [Jana and Singh] as on and off. They were never really in a relationship,' she said. 'It initially started off like, "Me and my wife aren't together." Then it was, "I'll leave my wife for you." I suppose that's how it always starts, isn't it? 'The longest he was ever at Jana's was no more than two weeks at a time. They would have an argument and then he would go back to his wife. So they never really lived together.' Ms Isaacs was one of the last people to see Ms Armstrong alive when the pair had brunch on July 7 at a Toowoomba cafe, where Jana was seen cradling her son Deshal on CCTV. The new mum was last seen on CCTV at a Toowoomba cafe on July 7 Jana's body was found in bushland just metres from a rural road, down an embankment Just hours later, Ms Isaacs sent her a text, and soon after, she began to suspect something was wrong.  'We live pretty close to each other and I sent her a text asking if she'd seen the fire in the area,' Faith said. 'I received a text back that said, "Going to Brisbane...". I said to my husband, "That's weird." 'She doesn't have any friends in Brisbane, and she completely ignored my question [about the fire]. That wasn't like her.' Faith now believes her sister did not send that text. Singh has been remanded in custody after a brief appearance in the Toowoomba Magistrates' Court last month. His lawyer has indicated the domestic violence murder charge will be fought, describing the accused as 'distressed' and asserting his innocence. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.