Sept. 11 (UPI) — A man was charged with murdering his three daughters, his wife and her mother in Australia, police said.
Anthony Robert Harvey, 24, was charged with killing his wife Mara Lee Harvey, 41, their three children 3-year-old Charolotte and 2-year-old twins Alice and Beatrix on Sept. 3, in their suburban Perth home and killing their 73-year-old grandmother, Beverley Ann Quinn the next day, ABC News reported.
West Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said police alleged a blunt instrument and knives were used in the murders.
The five bodies were found in the home on Sunday after Anthony Harvey turned himself in to police.
Dawson said police believe he stayed in the home in Bedford for days after the murders.
Anthony Harvey wasn’t required to enter a plea Monday and was remanded in custody to reappear in court on September 19.
Mara Lee Harvey’s sister Taryn Quinn issued an official statement, saying there were “no words to explain the emptiness and loss that we are feeling” following the death of her nieces, her sibling and their mother.
“Beverley was a kind-hearted, caring mother and grandmother and was always there for her family. She was very much family orientated and she loved her daughters and grandchildren, and would have done anything for them,” she wrote. “This world is a sadder place with the loss of these five beautiful people but Heaven has gained five new angels.”
West Australia’s Deputy Premier Roger Cook denounced the murders as a “senseless” act.
“Our heart goes out to the family and friends of all involved and also to the first responders who had to witness that horrible situation,” Cook said.
