Advertisement

Australian mom arrested after eight children stabbed to death

By Danielle Haynes

MANOORA, Australia, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A female relative of eight children found stabbed to death in a suburb of Cairns, Australia, was arrested by police on suspicion of murder, police said Saturday morning.

The 37-year-old woman, whose name wasn't reported, was the only survivor of a stabbing incident Friday.

Advertisement

Police were called to a house in Manoora, a town in far north Queensland, where they found the woman with serious injuries. Her seven children and one niece between the ages of 18 months and 14 years, were found dead of stabbing injuries.

A neighbor said the 20-year-old son of the woman who was arrested came home to find the grisly scene.

Police on Friday said the woman was assisting them in the investigation. They said they don't suspect anyone else is responsible for the killings.

Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said neither police nor child services had previous dealings with the occupants of the residence.

"This is an ordinary neighborhood, a lot of good people, a lot of kids in the area. This is something that has caught everybody by surprise," he said.

Advertisement

The suspect is in stable condition at Cairns Base Hospital and is under police guard.

Latest Headlines