Cops reveal house of horror toddler may be the only witness after a pregnant mum was killed in a suspected murder-suicide during a seven-hour siege in tiny rural town
Detectives in Queensland have revealed that a toddler is the sole survivor and only witness to a murder-suicide during a seven-hour police siege in the small rural town of Charleville. The bodies of a pregnant 23-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man were found inside a property on King Street early on Thursday morning, with the child discovered alive at the scene, prompting a police investigation into the circumstances.
Emergency services were first called to the address before the standoff unfolded over several hours, ending with the discovery of the two bodies. Charleville is located around 800km west of Brisbane, and police are appealing for information as they continue to piece together what happened.
- Toddler is sole survivor of Charleville murder-suicide siege
- Pregnant woman, 23, and man, 45, found dead
- Seven-hour police standoff at rural Queensland property
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Charleville is a small outback town in south-west Queensland, Australia, roughly 800km from the state capital, Brisbane. Police were called to a property on King Street, where a stand-off with officers lasted around seven hours before it ended and two bodies were found inside: a pregnant 23-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man. A young child was also found alive at the scene.
Investigators believe the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide, though this has not been formally confirmed, and they are working to establish exactly what happened in the lead-up to the siege. Because the toddler is the only other person known to have been present, police have said the child may be a key witness, even though they are too young to be formally questioned in the usual way.
The case has drawn attention both because of the scale of the police operation involved and because of the vulnerability of the surviving child. Queensland Police have asked anyone with information about the circumstances to come forward as the investigation continues.