A 12-year old girl has been found dead in a suspected domestic-related attack in the Hunter Valley.
The girl’s body was found at 5.45am this morning by police after they were called to the family home in Redgum Circuit, a suburb of Maitland.
Her mother’s partner, 31, was arrested in relation to the crime around 2 hours after her body was found.
Whilst no charges have been laid, the man was taken to Maitland police station where he is currently being questioned.
The police have released a statement saying that the cause of death has not been revealed but it is being looked at as “suspicious” and “is believed to be domestic-related”, police said.
This is the third domestic violence case to hit NSW in three days.
Kirralee Paepaerei, a pregnant woman, was allegedly stabbed to death in Mount Druitt by her partner. Ms Paepaerei, 37, was discovered by her teenage son on Tuesday.
Earlier in the week 29-year-old Phuong Cao and her 17-month old baby, Sienna, were found inside a home in Campsie. Police are treating the case as a murder-suicide.
The police are expected to reveal more information in a statement about today’s case, later this afternoon.
More to come.
Update as of 4.30pm today:
A 31 year old Hunter Valley man will be charged with the murder of his 12-year-old step-daughter, police say.
Detective Superintendent Craig Jackson said they were now in the process of charging the man with the girl’s murder.
Whilst no weapon was found at the scene, the girls body showed “some signs of violence” according to police reports.
The mother of the deceased as well as her three younger siblings are currently at Maitland police station being offered counselling.
Police are investigating whether or not there had been a history of violence known to authorities but initially had not found any previous recorded statements.
“No matter how you look at this it’s nothing short of a tragedy,” he said
“The message I’ll put out there to the community is if you are experiencing domestic violence, if you know of someone who is experiencing domestic violence, then contact your local police.”
1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732
Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491
