Baby Boy Missing After Mother and Daughter Found De-ad at Bottom of South Australian Cliff in Sh0cking Family Tragedy
South Australian police have now declared the deaths of Helena Wright and her two young children a major crime, confirming the tragedy at Port MacDonnell is being treated as a suspected murder‑suicide.
Wright, 36, and her young daughter were found dead in the water at the base of a cliff on Monday while her infant son is missing, presumed dead. Police believe they fell from the cliff deliberately.
Superintendent Trent Cox said detectives had reached the “tragic” conclusion of a suspected murder-suicide after completing key early steps in the investigation.
“I’m able to say that the investigation is now being treated as a murder‑suicide,” he said on Wednesday.
“It’s important we get that information out because we understand the strong community and media interest in this matter.”
Cox said police needed time to complete preliminary inquiries before making the declaration, with the coronial investigation continuing and a comprehensive report to be prepared for the coroner.
He thanked locals and partner agencies for their support as the search for the baby boy entered its third day.
“Sadly we have not yet located the body of the missing three‑month‑old,” he said.
“We will continue to do so but decisions will be made later today as to continuing with the formal search operations.”
Police say there is now “zero” chance the infant has survived, with the operation officially shifting to a body recovery.
Survivability experts advised that the time elapsed, the weather conditions and the child’s age meant there was no possibility of survival.
Wright was a much‑loved mother from the tight‑knit community of Compton near Mount Gambier.
The alarm was raised when a member of the public spotted Wright’s white 2015 Isuzu MUX with its engine still running near the cliff edge.
A police officer made the grim discovery a short time later.
Dangerous weather again battered the coastline on Wednesday, forcing search crews to scale back efforts as conditions remained too hazardous for boats or cliff‑edge searches.
Local volunteers continued combing the shoreline on Wednesday, determined to bring the infant home.
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