Detectives have revealed how a young family was left devastated to the core after their teenage daughter was accused of the brutal death of her 10-year-old sister.
Emergency services were called to the suburban home in Boolaroo, about 150 kilometers north of Sydney, at 3.45pm on Monday following reports of a domestic incident.
When paramedics arrived, they allegedly found the younger girl with multiple stab wounds to her upper body.
They desperately tried to save his life, but his injuries were too serious and he died at the scene, in the family home.
His older sister, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested and charged with the murder.
Outside Belmont police station on Tuesday, Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty told reporters the girls’ mother was going through unimaginable pain.
“There is a family at home that is still grieving, trying to come to terms with what happened to their 10-year-old family member and their loved one,” he said.
Pictured: Forensic investigators swarm the scene where a ten-year-old boy was allegedly murdered.
Forensic investigators spent more than 24 hours at the scene where a ten-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her sister.
‘My thoughts may be with a mother who has lost her ten-year-old daughter… and now has another one, the other daughter (who is) allegedly responsible for killing the ten-year-old girl.
“Being in that house is a terrible situation for her.”
He said the two girls were the only daughters in the family unit.
Detective Doherty did not indicate whether mental health was an issue, stating that the information he could provide was limited because the alleged killer was a minor.
The family was not known to police and investigators are still trying to understand how the situation unfolded.
“There is no indication from the information we have to indicate why this occurred, this is completely unexpected,” said Detective Superintendent Doherty, commander of the homicide squad.
Forensic investigators pored over the scene for 24 hours, working overnight Monday and all day Tuesday.
Homicide Squad Commander and Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty are pictured addressing the media at a press conference on Tuesday.
Pictured: A forensic investigator with a bag of evidence at the home on Tuesday.
A portion of the street remained blocked to the public, with police officers carefully monitoring the crime scene.
Neighbors were horrified by the alleged murder and told WhatsNew2Day Australia the community was close-knit and family-oriented.
A woman said she was home at the time of the alleged incident and said she didn’t hear any noise coming from the house at all.
“We thought there were a lot of sirens nearby, but they turned them off when we entered the street because there is no traffic,” he said.
Another neighbor said the situation was tragic because the mother ‘has lost everything.’
“He has lost his family, it is a tragedy.”
The 17-year-old’s matter was mentioned at Broadmeadow Youth Court on Tuesday.
She appeared through her lawyer and made no bail application.
The matter will return to court on June 24.
Emergency services were called to the suburban home in Boolaroo, about 150 kilometers north of Sydney, at 3.45pm on Monday following reports of a domestic incident.
Detectives declared the house a crime scene and launched an urgent investigation into the girl’s death.