BREAKING NEWS: Hor-ror Discovery Sparks Massive Search as Police Reveal Stunning Twist in Missing Baby Case
A family is dealing with the loss of a mother and her toddler after they were pulled from waters off South Australia’s south-east coast, as police suspend the search for her missing baby.
Emergency services believe mother-of-two Helena Wright, her two-year-old daughter and two-month-old son fell from the cliffs near Port Macdonnell on Monday morning.
A South Australian family is dealing with the loss of a mother and her toddler after they were pulled from waters near Port MacDonnell. Supplied
Police recovered the body of Wright and her daughter after the family car was found with its engine running in the lighthouse car park.
Search parties spent two days scouring the land surrounding Port Macdonnell for the missing boy until 3.30pm on Tuesday, when deteriorating conditions forced police to call off the search.
Superintendent Trent Cox said on Tuesday afternoon that expert advice indicated it was now “very, very unlikely” the boy had survived.
Wright, 36, was born in Estonia and shared a family home with her husband in Compton on the outskirts of Mount Gambier.
The search began after an abandoned Isuzu MUX was found with its engine running in a car park near Cape Northumberland about 11.15am on Monday.
Later that day, police discovered two bodies floating in the ocean: that of Wright and her 23-month-old daughter, but were unable to find the baby boy.
Search operations are planned to resume on Wednesday morning between 8am and 8.30am, when the weather is forecast to be slightly less extreme.
“We will continue to leave no stone unturned to continue this search,” Cox said.
He said major crime investigators and forensic officers were keeping an open mind as they assist coronial inquiries into how the family ended up in the water.
“There are a number of scenarios we’re investigating … we haven’t ruled anything in or out,” Cox said.
A subsequent police statement said there was no evidence to suggest anyone else was involved in the woman’s death.
Police were called to the car park near Cape Northumberland when a white Isuzu MUX was found abandoned with its engine running. SA Police
Limestone Coast Mayor Kylie Boston said the deaths have left the community stunned.
“You hope these things don’t ever happen,” Boston said.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said the tragedy had shocked people to the core.
“It’s very difficult at this point in time to understand exactly what transpired … but whenever we see the loss of anybody, it’s a tragedy. Where it involves children, that breaks your heart, particularly when you know there is currently a two-month-old baby missing.”
He urged the public not to jump to conclusions while police investigate multiple lines of inquiry.
Police have asked for anyone who saw a white Isuzu MUX with South Australian registration plates S592BJR, or who may have captured dashcam footage of the vehicle, to contact authorities.
A helicopter, plane and drones were called to the scene to help with the search. 9News
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Located on the state’s Limestone Coast about 25 kilometres south of Mount Gambier, Port Macdonnell is the southernmost town in South Australia.
The former trading port is now a popular destination for fishing tours and is close to a series of walking tracks and sinkholes.
Reports for the coroner about the incident will be prepared by police.
