Mother and Three Children Found Dead at a House in Melbourne, Australia

A mother and her three young children were found dead at their home in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, triggering an investigation by homicide detectives.

Officers from Victoria Police were called to the property in Tullamarine, in the city’s south-western suburbs, at about 12:30PM. There they discovered the bodies of the 42-year-old woman and her three children: a three-year-old boy and two girls aged five and seven.

A 48-year-old man, thought to be the children’s father, was escorted from the property and assessed by paramedics before being taken away in a police car. He is assisting police with their enquiries.

“A crime scene has been established and detectives from the Homicide Squad are attending," Victoria Police said in a statement on Thursday afternoon. "The exact circumstances around the incident are under investigation and we will provide more information when it's appropriate to do so."

“There is currently no ongoing threat to the community.”

Neighbour Marie Groves, whose children shared playdates with the family, told the ABC she was “devastated” by the news.

"It's so close to home,” she said. “These are people who've spent time in my home, my kids love their kids.”

"How am I going to tell my kids?"

"It's a very quiet street, very quiet,” another neighbour told 9News. “There's been no problems anywhere."

Police said they did not believe other parties were involved.