New South Wales police are investigating the deaths of a father and his six-year-old daughter, whose bodies were recovered from the Parramatta River in Sydney. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
On Saturday morning, officers were called to Hen and Chicken Bay at Concord in Sydney's inner west after reports of a man's body floating in the water. A boat owned by a member of the public was used by police to retrieve the 47-year-old, but he could not be revived.
Reports that a young girl had also been present prompted a widespread search lasting several hours before her body was also recovered. Police used CCTV images from a nearby home to help divers locate the girl's body.
"We have uncovered a suicide note and some other evidence drawing us to this conclusion," NSW police marine area commander Superintendent Joe McNulty told 2GB radio on Monday.
McNulty said officers were immediately suspicious because lifejackets were on board the boat but had not been used, leading them to believe the six-year-old may have been deliberately thrown into the water by the man.
The man was not known to police and had no recorded history of domestic violence. "We really need to make sense of this, because it is a complex investigation," McNulty said.
The girl's mother was notified and present during the search for her daughter. "At this stage it's horrible, but we're wrapping so much care around the victim and the mother that's been left behind," McNulty said.
The girl was the couple's only child, Superintendent Christine McDonald from Burwood police command told media. "Obviously, a mother in this situation ... it would rock any mother to the core," she said.
A friend of the man contacted police an hour after his body was located with concerns for the father and daughter's welfare, police said.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732.