A quiet, tight-knit rural community in southern Tasmania is reeling from an unfathomable tragedy this week, after the bodies of an elderly married couple were discovered at their remote property in what investigators have classified as a murder-suicide linked to family violence.
Emergency response teams were dispatched to the residence on Native Corners Road in Campania, a township of just 1,000 residents located roughly 40 minutes’ drive north of the state capital Hobart, early Friday morning. The call for assistance came after the dead male victim reached out to a close relative, who immediately alerted state police to the unfolding emergency.
Speaking to media following the discovery, Tasmania Police Detective Inspector David Gill outlined the preliminary findings of the ongoing investigation. “A male person appears to have ended his own life and the female resident received injuries causing her death,” Gill stated. “Investigations thus far have indicated that it is a family violence case and we are treating this as a murder-suicide.”
Autopsy and timeline assessments suggest the deaths took place shortly after the initial alert was placed to emergency services, Gill confirmed. Both victims, confirmed to be the couple who owned the property, are in their 60s. In a striking detail that has deepened the shock across the community, Gill added that the pair had no prior contact with law enforcement and were not known to police for any incidents before the tragedy.
The detective also acknowledged the heavy toll the incident has taken on first responders, describing the scene inside the home as “extremely confronting” for the officers and paramedics who first arrived at the property. A major crime scene designation was put in place immediately after the bodies were found, to allow for forensic examination of the site.
Out of respect for the couple’s surviving family, Gill declined to release further specific details about the incident or the victims. Investigators are now asking any members of the public who have information relevant to the case that they have not yet shared with police to contact the Tasmania Police non-emergency line on 131 444, referencing incident number ESCAD 114-15052026 to assist with the ongoing probe.