Lockhart shootings: Police search dam for father after wife,three children shot dead

Lockhart shootings: Police search dam for father after wife, 3 youngsters shot dead - ABCInformation (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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Lockhart shootings: Police search dam with regard to father following wife, 3 children shot dead

UpdatedSeptember 10, 2014 12:01:51

Photo:Kim Hunt (left) along with the woman's husband Geoff and their three youngsters which livednear Lockhart, west regarding Wagga Wagga, in NSW. (The Day-to-day Advertiser, WaggaWagga)Related Story:Woman, three kids found shot dead in southern NSW propertyMap:BoreeCreek 2652

Police divers are usually searching the dam to acquire a man following his wife and three kids werelocated shot dead at a rural property within southern New South Wales.

The bodies associated with Kim Hunt, the girl 10-year-old son Fletcher and any couple daughtersMia and Phoebe, previous eight along with six, had been discovered in a farmhouse close toLockhart, west of Wagga Wagga, about Tuesday afternoon.

The kids were found inside the particular property while his or her 41-year-old mother, whom wouldbecome a well-known nearby nurse, had been discovered on a path with the trunk of the particularhouse following a person in the actual public raised the particular alarm.

"While the post-mortem will probably be conducted for you to formally establish the trigger of his orher deaths, they are believed to possess all suffered gunshot wounds," any police statement said.

Forensic teams expended the night time scouring the area for your missing 44-year-old father,identified as Geoff Hunt, right after his ute is discovered parked near the dam on the property.

Photo:Geoff Hunt's ute is discovered near a damon the property which is the major focus associated with the authorities search. (ABC News)

Wagga Wagga police Superintendent Bob Noble said officers had been now browsing throughoutand also round the dam throughout an effort to find Mr Hunt.

"That may be the target in our investigation as well as our research today. Nevertheless we have gotbeen generating simply no assumptions since we just shouldn't rule something within as well as out,"he said.

"We're cautious in order to jump to become able to just about any conclusions or even help make anykind of assumptions."

Superintendent Noble mentioned the actual loved ones ended up being well identified within thecommunity.

"These individuals were well integrated making use regarding their nearby community. Via work.Via social events. through sport. three small children attended a new local school," he said.

"(They were) obviously productive members with the community. The idea is actually likely todevastate everybody from the little kids inside the neighborhood for the neighborhood leaders, theold folks, in add-on for you to their network involving family along with friends throughout the state.

Police alerted by simply triple-0 call

On Tuesday police mentioned they had "grave concerns" pertaining to Mr Hunt however would notcomment on regardless regarding whether he has been believed to become beneath any kind ofparticular strain.

"Different circumstances prevail coming from 1 farm for you to another. I can't comment on theparticulars about this particular farm," Superintendent Noble said.

"There's undoubtedly lifestyle around the property is quite difficult, though. Within particular areasof the united states with present, it's extremely difficult on people."

Police think the particular shooting deaths could have got happened several hours ahead of thebodies were discovered.

Superintendent Noble stated police had been alerted with a triple-0 call from the person in theparticular public with 3:00pm (AEST) about Tuesday.

"Our examinations and the details we've at this early stage led us to accept can be as true (theincident) might well have been early yesterday Tuesday morning, or potentially late around theevening of Monday," he said.

"A person in the particular public contacted triple-0, ambulance attended initially and also policehad been upon scene soon after that, they were met having a horrific scene.

"With in which in mind we've got to focus about the investigation, examining the crime scene as wellas locating this outstanding person."

Family was 'well-respected, community-minded people'

Detectives stated they were hoping Mr Hunt would obtain in touch together with loved ones orperhaps buddies and urged any person that had heard from him to acquire maintain of them.

No weapon continues to be found.

Photo:The children's bodies had been locatedinside the farmhouse whilst their mother had been discovered on the path at the back. (ABC News)

Lockhart Shire Mayor Peter Yates mentioned he was devastated from the shootings.

"I understand the loved ones well. They're well-respected people, community-minded people," MrYates said.

"It's a complete catastrophe, really.

"They're small children making use associated with their lives ahead of them that will are alreadycut brief by this terrible, terrible tragedy."

Ms Hunt suffered severe head injuries in the vehicle accident two years back near the familyresidence and had been air lifted to Canberra Hospital.

Mayor Peter Yates said your woman ended up being operating her method back again to be able towell being following the accident.

"She was a strong survivor and also workedthe girl way again to become able to a goodstandard regarding existence and yourwoman as well as he just showed hertenacity, I suppose, being in the place tocome back coming from this sort of negativeaccident," he said.

Ms Hunt's employer Ken Hampson statedthe girl would end up being a skilled nursealong with educator whom had fought herapproach back for the profession after the

automobile accident.

Mr Hampson mentioned the woman's death was becoming keenly felt by simply her colleagues.

"She was extremely close friends with the folks the girl labored with," he said.

"I has been talking to become able to staff at Wagga Base last night as well as the folks I has beentalking to become able to final night were inside tears they're absolutely devastated."

Map: Lockhart, New South Wales

Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, police, boree-creek-2652, wagga-wagga-2650, lockhart-2656

First postedSeptember 10, 2014 06:56:53

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