Police said there was no “violent incident” at the home where the family was found dead, but that they are investigating their deaths as a “murder-suicide”

Maiwenna Goasdowe, Jarrod Clune

Maiwenna Goasdowe and Jarrod Clune.Credit : Facebook

Australian authorities are sharing new details about a “devastating” scene that was uncovered at a house in a southwestern suburb of Perth on Friday morning where police found a couple, their two teenagers, and three family pets all dead in what authorities believe was a “murder-suicide.”

Western Australia Police said in a news release on Friday that its officers responded to the emergency call from a family friend who had arrived earlier in the morning at the Mosman Park home. Police soon arrived and that “upon entering the house, sadly located four people, and three pets deceased.”

“A 50-year-old man, a 49-year-old woman and two male children — aged 14 and 16-years-old, were located inside the property,” the Western Australia Police said. “One cat and two dogs were also located deceased. It is believed the persons are all known to each other and formed a family unit.”

The Western Australia Police said its “Homicide Squad Detectives are investigating this incident as a suspected murder-suicide” and stated that there was no “ongoing threat” to the community.

Maiwenna Goasdowe, Jarrod Clune

Maiwenna Goasdowe (left) and Jarrod Clune (right).Facebook

Western Australia Police Detective Acting Inspector Jessica Securo told reporters there was no history of “reported family violence matters with police,” according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

News.au.com reported that Securo said that investigators “do know that both children experienced significant health challenges” and that their caregiver was the witness who called police after discovering the scene early Friday morning. The outlet identified the family members as Maiwenna Goasdowe, 49, Jarrod Clune, 50, and their teenage sons Leon, 16, and Otis, 14, and their three pets. Police said both Leon and Otis were receiving care for autism, according to News.au.com.

Citing police, the outlet reported that the boys’ caregiver found a note on the family’s front door that read: “don’t enter” and “call police.”

Leon, 16, and Otis, 14

Leon, 16, and Otis, 14.Facebook

Detective Securo told reporters she couldn’t discuss “how” the family members died but reiterated that “there doesn’t appear to be a violent incident that has occurred at the house.”

“What I can advise is that there was no weapon used during this incident, and the family have no reported family violence matters with police,” the police detective added.

In the Western Australian Police statement, Securo said, “This is a tragic and devastating incident where a family has lost their lives, and the impact will be felt by the entire community,” Detective Securo said in a statement attached to the Western Australian Police’s news release Friday morning.

“It was a confronting scene for all first responders,” the detective’s statement continued. “WA Police have deployed health and welfare resources and the police chaplain to provide support to those officers involved. If this incident has adversely affected or impacted you, there are support services available which are there to help you so please do reach out.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.