More details have been revealed after a three-year-old boy was found stabbed to death in a Sydney apartment on Wednesday.
The mother of a three-year-old believed to be stabbed to death by his father died just years before the tragic incident unfolded.
Police have revealed the mother of a young boy found dead in a home in Sydney’s southwest had died “a couple of years ago,” with his father now suspected of killing the child.
Emergency services rushed to a unit block on Washington Ave in Riverwood at 4pm on Wednesday after police were called.
A view of the apartment complex on Washington Avenue, Riverwood where at 4pm Wednesday 31 May 2023. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard
Police and Forensics are seen at the apartment complex on Thursday. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard
Officers at the scene of the tragedy. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard
Officers arrived too late for the young boy, discovering him dead inside the unit.
A severely injured 45-year-old man was also located at the scene. He was treated by paramedics before being rushed to hospital in a critical condition. It’s thought the injuries were self inflicted.
The Daily Telegraph has reported the man was the child’s father and police will allege he killed the boy. No charges have yet been laid.
Superintendent Sheridan Waldau revealed a woman who lives in the unit, a relative of the man’s, called triple-0 with concerns.
She is not the child’s mother, who died “a couple of years ago”, according to Superintendent Waldau.
She added that while it was too early to know a motive for the “horrific” incident, the homicide squad were now part of the investigation.
She confirmed police believe the child had lived with the 45-year-old man and that the woman who raised the alarm “normally” lives in the apartment on her own.
The incident was “very traumatic” for those who attended, Superintendent Waldau said.
“This is obviously a horrific incident … any kind of incident involving a small child is always a tragic incident and our condolences go out to the extended family of the child,” she said.
“Unfortunately, police attend domestic violence incidents all the time. We attend 140,000 incidents every year and unfortunately some of them end up in homicides.
“It’s one of the jobs that we as police always hate going to.”
Emergency services rushed to the Riverwood apartment block after reports of a concern for welfare. Picture: ABC
Emergency vehicles line the street outside the scene. Picture: ABC
The street remains blocked off. Picture: ABC
Some of the boy’s family members arrived at the scene and were “very upset” by the incident. They are already speaking to police.
The grieving family members were crying near the apartment according to The Daily Telegraph.
One could be heard screaming “Oh my god, oh my god, no, no, no.”
Police are also seeking to speak to the 45-year-old man’s current partner, who was not at the scene at the time of the incident.
Streams of police cars and ambulances lined the street as crowds gathered outside the unit block.
Paramedics were seen rushing into the apartment.
Washington Ave remains blocked off as the police operation is in place.
The news has horrified the neighbourhood, according to resident David Chen.
“It’s a close community and to hear about this news is incredibly concerning,” Mr Chen said.
“I have my own child so to hear something like this it’s very unfortunate.
“I’ve been here six years and this is the first time we’ve had any events like this, so we are all shocked.
“We didn’t hear anything either, it’s a close-knit community, so it seems like it was very under the radar.”
“It’s a surprise actually, it’s kind of a senior citizen area,” another resident said.
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.
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