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Police searching the property. New South Wales Police via Facebook
Investigation
Family of five dead in apparent murder-suicide in Australia
Police have found the body of the 44-year-old father after his family were found shot dead at the family home.
POLICE IN AUSTRALIA searching for a 44-year-old father after his wife and three children were found shot dead at their home have found the body of a man.
The bodies of the 41-year-old woman and her three children — a 10-year-old-boy and two girls aged 8 and 6 — were found at the rural property on Tuesday afternoon.
The three children were found inside the house in Lockhart in New South Wales, and the woman was found on a path at the rear of the house.
Specialist forensic officers had been examining two crimes scenes at the property overnight: the first at the home and the other at a nearby dam where an abandoned white truck was found.
A body was pulled from the dam early this morning, News.com.au reports. A gun is also believed to have been recovered.
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Police had said that they had “grave concerns” about him.
A post mortem is to be carried out on the family to formally establish the cause of their deaths but police in New South Wales said they are believed to have all suffered gunshot wounds.
Police were called to the home at around 3pm on Tuesday afternoon (00.30 on Wednesday GMT) after the children did not attend school.
Superintendent Bob Noble said it was a “horrific scene”.
“I don’t think even the most hardened professional could remain unmoved,” he said.
He said he could not comment on whether a suicide note was found at the scene.
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