A child is dead and two others are fighting for life after a stabbing inside a car in the town of Valley Heights, in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.
A woman, aged in her 40s and known to the children, was also rushed to hospital on Sunday afternoon with what police believe are self-inflicted stab wounds. Police have not confirmed whether she is the children’s mother, but said she did not have a criminal record.
Police informed the children’s father, who was at work at the time of the tragedy, and the ages and genders of the young victims have not been released out of respect for the family, although they are all believed to be under the age of five.
Members of the public helped save two of the children’s lives after rushing over to the white SUV on Waratah Road at about 12.45pm and performing CPR, 9News reported.
One child was found dead inside the car, while the other two were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to Westmead Children’s Hospital.
Police said they were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
Blue Mountains Police Area Commander Superintendent John Nelson called the incident “traumatic and tragic”, and said he could not confirm the type of injuries suffered, or what kind of weapon was used.
“We’ve made contact with the father and obviously you can imagine receiving that tragic news, that the person is at work just going about their business and they’ve had this information provided to them,” he said.
He also referred to three other fatal alleged domestic violence incidents across NSW, calling it a “very distressing weekend for many people”, 7News reported.
“This is the fourth death that we’ve had, potentially domestic violence-related.”
A 94-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her nephew, 47, in a Bondi Beach unit on Saturday afternoon, just hours after a 23-year-old woman was allegedly killed by a 31-year-old man in the Riverina city of Wagga Wagga.
Then, on Saturday night, a 37-year-old man allegedly decapitated his mother and assaulted his father in Mole River, near Tenterfield in the state’s north.
All three men have been charged with murder.
Header image: Left, the car where the children were found (9News). Right, paramedics at the scene (7News).
