The grieving family of the three children found dead in a burning house in Port Hedland have released a statement, asking the public for respect and privacy following their “devastating loss”.
Key points:
- The family have spoken of the “devastating loss” of the three children
- They have asked the public to respect their privacy
- Residents are asked to prioritize their mental health
Firefighters found the bodies of a 10-year-old girl, a seven-year-old boy and a five-month-old boy after being called to a house fire in the Pilbara town on Tuesday afternoon.
The family at the center of the incident was known in the area, according to the Department for Communities, and police released their statement on Friday evening.
“Our family is going through a very traumatic grieving process,” they said.
“We are unable to put into words the devastating loss we are all feeling right now.
“We ask that people refrain from speculating and commenting on the events surrounding the death of our beautiful children.
“We ask that people respect our cultural protocols and not mention our children’s names, or share their images without our permission.”
The police outside the house Thursday afternoon. (ABC News: Amelia Season)
“We are quietly paying tribute to our three little angels, and we are just supporting each other at this time,” the family concluded.
The children’s mother was arrested after being injured in the fire and was helping police with their enquiries.
She was flown to Perth on Thursday to receive specialist treatment for her burns in hospital, where she remains.
Homicide detectives, arson investigators and forensics teams are working with local police to discover the cause and manner of the children’s deaths.
No charges have been filed.
The family was seen weeping around the house, cordoned off with police tape, comforting each other as authorities removed the children’s bodies from the scene Thursday afternoon.
In the statement, the family asked the public and the local community to respect the investigation process, which police said would take time.
Police at the scene of an investigation in Port Hedland where three children were found dead following a house fire. (ABC News: Amelia Season)
“We will provide the answers the community is looking for [for]but we need the time to do that,” WA Police Superintendent Kim Massam said.
The WA Country Health Service has encouraged community members to prioritize their mental health following the tragic incident.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that we continue to be there for each other,” said Regional Director Roger Golling.
He encouraged those in the community to seek out the variety of mental health services available.
“We have community mental health services, a dedicated regional youth mental health program, specialist Aboriginal mental health services and emergency mental health services through our hospital,” Mr Golling said.