Authorities in New Zealand are investigating a tragic incident in which three children and their father died in what is believed to be a murder-suicide.
Police said in a press release that the man and the children — ages 1, 5, and 7 — were found at a property in Sanson, north of Wellington, on Saturday, Nov. 15. Emergency services responded around 2:30 p.m. local time after receiving reports of a house fire.
While the case is being treated as a suspected murder-suicide, officials have not publicly confirmed whether the deaths are classified as homicides, according to The New Zealand Herald and RNZ.
Manawatū Area Commander Inspector Ross Grantham told reporters that the man died at the scene and did not appear to have suffered burns, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Police said the home was “severely damaged,” and although the cause remains under investigation, authorities are not seeking additional suspects.
The bodies of the man and two of the children were recovered on Sunday, with family present to perform karakia — a traditional blessing — before their removal. The third child’s body was also recovered that day.
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“We need to do the right thing by these kids, and it’s important we follow proper process,” Grantham said in the press release. “We have to do it right, and that will take time.”
He confirmed the victims’ ages but stated that formal identification is still pending. “At this early stage, we are still working to determine why this incident unfolded and why three innocent young children lost their lives.”
The police commander acknowledged the shock within the community: “It’s unimaginable — the horror and the heartache that this family are going through… It’d be great if we can all support them, just give them some space to grow and get through it,” he said, per The NZ Herald.
Autopsies are expected to take place this week.
Neighbor Alan Parker expressed the community’s grief in an interview with The New Zealand Herald: “Our thoughts are going out to the people that have to deal with this going forward… It’s pretty clear to everybody what has happened, which is something very dark and terrible.”
A Givealittle fundraising page has identified the children as August, Hugo, and Goldie. Donations — which have surpassed $139,000 USD (over $247,000 NZD) — are being collected to support the children’s mother, Chelsey.
