Police in Western Australia have found several bodies in what they describe as a tragic incident at a home in the Perth suburb of Bedford.
In a statement, police media said that late on Sunday morning a man in his 20s went to a regional police station and provided information which caused police to go to a home on Coode Street.
“Attending police discovered the deceased bodies of several people including children believed to be up to five persons,” the statement said.
WA Police confirm they have located up to five bodies including women and children at a home in Coode St, Bedford. A man is in custody assisting police with the investigation after he attended a regional station @Ab perth pic.twitter.com/ZBGpsnwWJv
— Eliza Laschon (@e_laschon) September 9, 2018
“The man is currently in custody and assisting police with their inquiries. There are no ongoing concerns for public safety as a result of this incident.”
The homicide squad was undertaking a thorough investigation, police media said.
An assistant commissioner, Paul Steel, told reporters: “Police have located the bodies of a number of deceased people including women and children. Whilst the scene is yet to be forensically examined it is believed up to five deceased are located at that scene.”
He said the investigation was still at a “very early stage” but described the scene as “tragic”.
“It is tragic not only for the family and the friends, it is also tragic for those first responders who are forced to attend such scenes,” he said.
“It does send a ripple through the community of Western Australia. We are three hours into this investigation. I have no further detail in relation to those who are present at the location.”
He could not confirm the ages, genders and relationship of the deceased, what weapons were found, or how long the bodies had been there, and said the “meticulous” investigation of the crime scene “could take a number of days”.
The discovery comes after a 19-year-old man was charged with murdering an eight-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl and their mother at Ellenbrook in July. At the time, Steel said it was “potentially the most horrific crime scene he has ever been called to”.
In May, four children and three adults were found dead in a murder-suicide near Margaret River in the state’s south-west.
Peter Miles, 61, his 58-year-old wife Cynda, their daughter Katrina, 35, and her four children – daughter Taye, 13, and sons Rylan, 12, Arye, 10 and Kadyn, eight – were found dead at a farm in Osmington, in Australia’s worst mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. Three guns licensed to Miles were found at the property.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 and the domestic violence helpline is on 0808 2000 247. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
