Sept. 9 (UPI) — As many as five people died in a home in Australia and a man in his 20s was taken into custody on Sunday morning, police said.
“Up to five” bodies at the home in suburban Perth are believed to have been a mother, her children and their grandmother, news.com.au reported.
The man turned himself in to a regional West Australian police station Sunday morning, but no charges have been filed and police didn’t disclose the identity of the victims or their relationship to the man.
“This is a tragic event and it will no doubt have an impact not only the family and friends of the deceased but for the whole of the community, those first responders who are faced with attending a scene with multiple deceased people,” West Australian police assistant commissioner Paul Steel said.
Police said the man was in custody and assisting police with their inquiries into the case.
“There are no ongoing concerns for public safety as a result of this incident,” they said.
Steel added the investigation was still at a “very early stage” and officers were still working to determine the timeline of what happened, ABC News reported.
“We are three hours into this investigation, I have no further detail in relation to those who are present at the location,” he said.
Neighbors said a young family lived in the home and an older woman had frequently visited.
“We’ve just been on a holiday and come back yesterday to silence in the street,” resident Richard Fairbrother, who lived next door to the house said. “We had some friends staying here who have also mentioned that they didn’t see or hear anybody next door for the week that we were away.”
Other neighbors described the residents as a “normal family,” adding they were “shocked” by the development.
“You hear something happening so close, it’s really distressing,” Vagner de Souza said.
