Parents 'in shock' at death of twins

The house where the little sisters were found dead yesterday. Police say they were loved and well cared for. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Desperate sobbing was heard coming from a Wellington home shortly after twin infant girls were found dead there yesterday morning.

Police have launched a homicide investigation into the deaths of the 3-month-old sisters. The babies' parents found the girls' bodies in the Titahi Bay home and called the ambulance service, who alerted police about 10.30am.

"When [police] got there they were advised that two 3-month-old girls were found dead," said Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam, head of Porirua CIB.

The family were being fully co-operative with police, but Mr Oxnam would not say how the babies died.

"What we've got here is an unexplained death, and we treat it seriously as a homicide so we make sure we don't miss out on anything," Mr Oxnam said.

A neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said she heard the sound of desperate sobbing when the parents realised they had lost their daughters.

"I got the impression they [the babies] were really loved because when all this happened I could hear the crying, and it was just devastating. Just hearing it makes you want to cry ... it was just awful.

"I think it was the mother I was hearing who was crying and it's just heartbreaking."

Members of the family arriving at the house yesterday burst into tears, she said.

"There was obviously a lot of heart-broken people."

The neighbour said she had not met the family, who had moved into the two-storey Housing NZ home in the past two weeks.

3 News reported last night that the family contacted the network to say they were not the Kahui family. They said they were "in shock".

They said they "firmly believe" that this could be a case of cot death.

Chris and Cru Kahui, also 3 months old, were murdered in June, dying from blows to their heads or from their heads being bashed against a solid object.

That tragedy sparked a rallying cry from political and grassroots circles to crack down on family violence.

Autopsies on the Porirua babies were to be conducted yesterday.

"The purpose of the post-mortem examination and scientific examinations of the babies' bodies is to establish what, if any, injuries were inflicted," Mr Oxnam said.

"Once that's done and other inquiries are completed, we should know what we're dealing with."

The babies were born prematurely and it is understood they may have also been ill.

Police would not publicly name the twins until all the family had been advised, Mr Oxnam said.

"This is a very sad case. The parents and other family members are very distressed by what has happened.

"The death of any child is tragic, but to lose two young ones at the same time is very hard to deal with."

Both parents and one grandparent were in the house at the time, but police would not say how many other children there were.

Ambulance staff had tried to resuscitate one of the babies when they arrived at the house.

Mr Oxnam said the babies were loved and well cared for.

"At this stage we are getting full co-operation from the family, and I appreciate this because it is such a stressful time for them."

Detectives, meanwhile, are yet to make an arrest in the Kahui case; a lack of co-operation from the Kahui family has hampered police inquiries.

The Kahui twins had injuries including broken ribs, brain damage and a broken thigh bone.

- Additional reporting Louisa Cleave