A pair of half-naked and starving teenagers were found locked in a room with their dead father lying nearby.
Brisbane police discovered the 49-year-old's body inside the home after receiving reports of the sudden death of a man on Wednesday.
When they were inside, they heard crying from a locked bedroom and found the 17 and 19-year-old teens.
The pair, who are autistic, were wearing nappies and playing in the room in pictures seen by Australian media.
A local resident reportedly said the lads were always locked in their room and that the house smelt 'putrid'.
He added that there were also chickens in the kitchen, news.com.au reports.
The garden of the home was littered with rubbish, paint buckets, clothes, an old microwave and toys.
Paramedics assessed the teens and took them to Prince Charles Hospital.
Queensland's Minister for Child Safety Di Farmer said: "Hearing about events like this in our community is never easy."
"My thoughts are with these two young men who are getting the support and care they need."
She described the incident as 'horrific', while Queensland's Deputy Premier Steven Miles said it was 'tragic'.
He added: "Obviously just based on what I’ve seen in the media reports this is particularly tragic, heart wrenching and no doubt will be investigated in detail."
Queensland Police said the death of the 49-year-old man was not being treated as suspicious.
