Police have detailed the disturbing scene inside the home where they found two young boys dead and their grandmother close to death with self-inflicted wounds.
Officers had rushed to the property in Coonabarabran, in central-west NSW, at 2pm on Monday after a desperate call from their maternal grandmother, 66.
The woman had phoned the Department of Communities and Justice at 1.30pm to say her grandsons, Sam, six and Max, seven, were dead and she needed help.
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said police forced their way into the property and came across the body of one of the boys.
They found the grandmother who had ‘attempted to self-harm, and police prevented her from further harming herself’, he added.
They then found the body of the young boy’s brother in another room. Both children are alleged to have been smothered to death.
‘It’s a confronting tragedy and should not have occurred,’ said the police chief on Tuesday.
‘These things shock small country towns. The death of one child is bad enough – the death of two is just incomprehensible.’
The grandmother had phoned the Department of Communities and Justice at 1.30pm to say her grandsons, Sam, six and Max, seven, were dead and she needed help.
The property where the boys were living
On Tuesday afternoon, detectives in forensics gear could be seen examining a vehicle parked in the garage at the house
Mr Holland revealed the grandmother had been placed in a mental health facility in Orange and it was unclear how long she would remain there.
But he said she would likely face serious charges as soon as she was released.
The deaths of the boys were being treated as an alleged double murder, he said. There were ‘no weapons’ involved in the incident, he said.
The grandmother was ‘known to police, but not adversely at this time’. Officers were aware of her from another matter reported in the past.
Mr Holland said the grandmother and her two grandsons had moved to the property from the NSW Central Coast about 11 months ago.
The six-year-old boy had been battling cancer since birth, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The four-bedroom property, set on 2.5 hectares, had been bought exactly one year ago for $405,000.
The boys’ biological parents had been advised about their deaths, and so had the other set of grandparents, Mr Holland said.
Emergency services rushed to a property in Coonabarabran, in central-west NSW, at 2pm on Monday over an urgent concern for welfare check
The house was a single-storey property located down a dirt road in a patch of bushland just outside town
On Tuesday afternoon, detectives in forensics gear could be seen examining a vehicle at the house, a single-storey property located down a dirt road in a patch of bushland just outside town.
Officers spent several hours searching a Mazda BT50 that was parked in the garage.
The doors of the vehicle were open and one of the dectives could be seen shining a torch into the front dashboard of the car.
Outside the house, laundry was still hanging from a washing line near a basketball hoop.
The front neighbour of the house was going about his afternoon chores, but declined to speak to Daily Mail Australia.
‘No comment, mate,’ he said.
Local MP for the NSW electorate of Barwon, Roy Butler, acknowledged the tragedy on Facebook, saying his heart went out to the local community.
‘The death of any child is always devastating. In a small, close community, where everyone is connected in some way, it hits the community even harder,’ he said.
‘Any death is tragic, but in circumstances where it’s avoidable, it causes even more pain.’
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb described the deaths as a ‘terrible, terrible tragedy’
Officers spent several hours searching a Mazda BT50 that was parked in the garage
The property lies on the outskirts of Coonabarabran, a small rural town with a population of less than 2,400 people.
Peter, a local karate instructor, said the boys used to attend his classes accompanied by their grandmother, who often assisted during the sessions.
‘To be honest, when I found out what had happened yesterday, I was amazed,’ he told The Daily Telegraph.
‘Their grandmother would come along to class with them and help out. She was so willing to get in here and hold the bags, with all the different kids kicking the bags and stuff, she didn’t shirk it.’
A post mortem will be carried out today.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb described the deaths as a ‘terrible, terrible tragedy’.
‘This is a truly horrific tragedy involving children so young,’ Commissioner Webb said.
‘Our hearts go out to the family of these boys, and to the entire community who will be devastated by what has happened today.’
Commissioner Webb said resources would be made available to help local police, first responders, the distraught family and the wider community.
She added the State Crime Command has also sent detectives from Sydney’s homicide squad to assist local police in the investigation.
Coonabarabran is a small rural town, which has a population of less than 2,400 people.
State Crime Command has also sent detectives from Sydney’s homicide squad to assist local police in the investigation
Outside the house, laundry was still hanging from a washing line near a basketball hoop
Heartbreaking tributes for the brothers have been shared on social media as the tight-knit community woke to the tragic news.
‘Two little firecracker kids,’ local councillor Kodi Brady wrote in a tribute on social media.
‘They were amongst it all, 100 miles an hour, involved in soccer, karate, wild as march hares and cute as buttons!
‘So devastating for all. It makes me sick to think how their last minutes were spent.’
NSW Premier Chris Minns described the day as ‘terrible’, claiming the whole state would share in the community’s grief.
‘What has occurred is terrible and as a state we share in the community of Coonabarabran’s grief at the loss of two young boys who had their entire futures ahead of them,’ Premier Minns said.
‘I can not begin to imagine the heartbreak their loved ones are currently feeling, including their family, friends, and teachers.
‘I thank the local officers who attended the scene for their professionalism and bravery in the face of such a horrible event.’
Strike Force Darnum has been set up to investigate the tragedy.
Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
