A mother in her 40s is suspected of carrying out a stabbing attack on three young children in the Blue Mountains, police have said. One child died at the scene, while two others and the woman remain in a critical condition in hospital.
Emergency services were called to Waratah Road in Valley Heights, near Springwood, shortly after the incident on Sunday afternoon. The children, all under five, were found inside a car that had partly pulled into a vacant block close to a fire trail leading into the national park.
The woman was found outside the vehicle. Police said cyclists came across the scene and members of the public attempted to give first aid while waiting for paramedics.
The two surviving children and their mother were taken by road to Westmead Hospital and Westmead Children’s Hospital. All three have undergone surgery.
Blue Mountains Police Area Command superintendent John Nelson said the mother was being treated as the suspect in what police described as a domestic-related homicide investigation.
“The mother is the suspect in this matter, for domestic related homicide, and that investigation is ongoing,” he said.
Police said the children’s father had been at work when officers contacted him. Mr Nelson said investigators were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and that the woman had not previously come to police attention.
Residents said they were shocked by the discovery. Peita Davies, who lives on Waratah Road, said people in the street knew one another and did not believe the woman or children were local.
“Nobody heard anything,” she said. “We all want to know how they ended up here.”
Another resident, Glenn Lyall, said he initially thought the large police presence was connected to a road crash.
“I could see a hatchback on an angle and two cyclists pointing, and I thought the car had hit one of the cyclists,” he said.
A resident described seeing “a lot of blood” and said it had been horrific to encounter.
The incident came after three women were allegedly murdered inside their homes across New South Wales within a 12-hour period on Saturday.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna described the weekend as devastating.
“It’s a horrific and tragic weekend and it’s like one that I don’t remember in my career,” he told Nine’s Today.
He said the cases, together with the incident in the Blue Mountains, were “unfathomable”.
Mr Nelson praised the members of the public who responded to the scene, saying they had been confronted with a traumatic situation during an ordinary Sunday afternoon. He added that the officers involved would have access to support services.
Police said the weapon allegedly used and the circumstances surrounding the stabbing would form part of the investigation.
Blue Mountains councillor Darren Rodrigo described the incident as “absolutely horrendous and tragic”, while thanking community members and emergency responders who provided assistance.
