Margaret River murder-suicide: Seven people found dead at home near WA holiday town
Seven people, including four children and three adults, have been found dead at a home near Margaret River in Western Australia’s South West.
Police are treating the incident as a murder-suicide and have confirmed they are not looking for any suspects.
A friend of the family has confirmed to the ABC that Katrina Miles and her four children were among the seven victims.
The friend confirmed that Katrina’s parents, whose names are listed on the property title as Peter and Cynda Miles, were also killed in the incident.
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said all seven victims appeared to be residents of the property, which consists of an established house and a shed that had been converted to living quarters.
Two adults were found outside and the other five bodies were discovered inside the converted shed.
Police at the scene confirmed to the ABC that the family’s next of kin had been notified, but they are yet to formally confirm the identities of the victims.
The situation is the worst mass shooting in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which 35 people died and another 23 were seriously injured.
Phone tip-off to police
Commissioner Dawson said officers were called to the rural property in Osmington, about 20 kilometres north-east of Margaret River, about 5:15am on Friday.
They found firearms at the crime scene.
“It appears that gunshot wounds are there, but I don’t want to go further than that as two firearms have been located,” Commissioner Dawson said.
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Detectives from the Homicide Squad and Forensic Crime Scene Unit have travelled to the scene as part of the investigation.
If you or anyone you know needs help:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
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Commissioner Dawson announced the discovery at a media conference in Perth, describing the deaths as a “horrific incident”.
He said a “male person” connected to the property had phoned police just after 5:00am, and officers arrived at the scene shortly afterwards.
“The loss of any life is tragic, but four children and three adults, this is a significant tragedy,” he said.
“This will be a very large-scale and detailed investigation.”
Commissioner Dawson said the phone call to police had been recorded but he would not reveal any more details about it.
PHOTO: Police say they expect to remain at the property for “an extended period of time”. (ABC News)