Police Retreated From a Violent Home. By Morning, a Child Was Alive, Two Adults Were De-a-d—and Investigators Were Left With One Chil-ling Question
A woman and a man have been found dead at a property in Queensland’s south-west. (ABC News: Bella Munro)
A woman and a man have been found dead at a property in Queensland’s south-west after police withdrew from what was described as a “violent crime scene”.
The 23-year-old woman and 45-year-old-man were found at a property on King Street in Charleville this morning.
Emergency services were called to the property after reports of a serious assault at 6pm yesterday.
Southern Region Assistant Commissioner Matthew Vanderbyl said police were confronted with a “violent crime scene” on Wednesday night.
“I understand the situation became quite dynamic and quite threatening to police quite quickly and that they withdrew to a point of safety,” he said.
“Negotiations were engaged from that point and specialist teams were activated from Brisbane.”
An emergency declaration was issued shortly after and revoked about eight hours later.
Assistant Commissioner Vanderbyl said officers found a young boy on the front stairs.
“Police actually put themselves back into what I consider to be harm’s way to remove that child from the premises,” he said.
Flowers placed at the base of a tree near the crime scene in Charleville (ABC News: Bella Munro)
He said the toddler was taken to Charleville Hospital but was not injured.
Assistant Commissioner Vanderbyl said at this stage of the investigation it was not clear when the man and woman died.
“We suspect it was through the night, somehow after police first attended, but we simply don’t know,” he said. “It is just way too early for us to speculate.”
Earlier, police said it was being treated as a suspected murder-suicide.
When asked at a press conference, Assistant Commissioner Vanderbyl said he would “caution against using that term”.
“I would really caution against speculating as to precisely what’s happened here until we know,” he said.
Matthew Vanderbyl says it is a complex investigation as police work to determine the circumstances. (ABC News: Grace Nakamura)
Assistant Commissioner Vanderbyl said the relationship between the individuals, how exactly they died and the weapons used had not yet been established.
He said it was a “complex investigation”.
“It is made even more difficult by the fact that Charleville is an eight-hour drive, on a good day, from Brisbane.”
No members of the public or police officers were injured during the incident.
Police were called to the property about 6pm on Wednesday. (ABC News: Bella Munro)
‘Heartbreaking day’ for rural town
Murweh Shire Mayor Shaun Radnedge said it was a “heartbreaking day” for the Charleville community.
“Charleville is a small community, these events have profound impact, obviously people in our community will be shocked and saddened and looking for support,” he said.
“There will be ripples go through our community and we ask that when the information does come out of the families that have been affected by this, that we give them privacy and let them process what has happened.”
A woman and a man have been found dead at a property in Queensland’s south-west. (ABC News: Bella Munro)
Cr Radnedge said he had “every confidence” police would conduct a thorough investigation, and asked “that the community come together and support each other in any way we possibly can”.
The Ethical Standards Command is investigating.
