3 Children and Their Father Killed in House Fire in Suspected Murder-Suicide: ‘Unimaginable Horror and Heartache’

Police said the children involved in the Nov. 15 incident were aged 1, 5, and 7

Jivko/Getty Stock image of a fire rescue truck© Jivko/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Three children and a man died at a property in Sanson, New Zealand, on Saturday, Nov. 15, according to police
The incident involving a father and his three young children is being investigated as a suspected murder-suicide, according to local media reports
Police said they were alerted to a house fire at the property and the circumstances “remain under investigation”

Three young children and their father have reportedly died in a suspected murder-suicide in New Zealand.

On Saturday, Nov. 15, a man and three children, aged 1, 5 and 7, died at a property in Sanson, north of the capital Wellington, New Zealand Police said in a press release. The emergency services were alerted to a house fire at the property around 2:30 p.m. local time.

While the incident is being investigated as an alleged murder-suicide, authorities did not confirm during a press conference whether the case had been determined to be a homicide, according to The New Zealand Herald and RNZ.

Manawatū Area Commander Inspector Ross Grantham said the man did not suffer burns but confirmed he died at the scene, The New Zealand Herald reported.

In their press release, New Zealand Police said the circumstances of the incident “remain under investigation.” “The house was severely damaged, however Police are not seeking anyone else in relation to the incident,” they said.

The bodies of the man and the two of the children were recovered on Sunday and police said “family was also present to bless them with karakia.” The third child’s body was recovered on Sunday.

Jivko/Getty Stock image of a police vehicle

“We need to do the right thing by these kids, and it’s important we follow proper process. We have to do it right, and that will take time,” Grantham said of the investigation, per the release.

“We can say that the young victims of this tragedy are aged 1, 5, and 7 years old, but until formal identification has been carried out, we are not in a position to name them, or the adult,” he said. “At this early stage, we are still working to determine why this incident unfolded and why three innocent young children lost their lives.”

“We know the community have a lot a questions about this case, as do we, but at this stage we are still working to determine the intent and circumstances around this incident,” he added.

Grantham also said, per The NZ Herald, “It’s unimaginable the horror and the heartache that this family are going through. It’s great for the community to support them. It’d be great if we can all support them, just give them some space to grow and get through it.”

Autopsies are set to be carried out this week, per the release.

Neighbor Alan Parker told The New Zealand Herald, “Our thoughts are going out, of course, to the people that have to deal with this going forward, which is both families … We have to wait until a bit more detail comes out, but it’s pretty clear, I feel like to everybody what has happened which is something very dark and terrible.”

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