“However, there were no current court-imposed restrictions in relation to the individuals preventing any contact between the couple,” she said.
Police said the couple’s six children were not home at the time of the incident.
Hilliard said a relative made the welfare check, saying they had been in contact with the couple during the day, then lost contact.
Residents told The Adelaide Advertiser the family had moved to Australia from Afghanistan about 15 years ago, with some family members working for JBS Meatworks.
Neighbour Merrilyn Newman said the family had adult children, some of whom were attending university.
“It’s devastating, it’s really sad – especially because they are from so far away, so as far as relatives and someone to lean on, you haven’t got it,” she said.
The Bordertown Islamic Community Centre manager Adeel Khan said Shafeeqa was a “good lady” who loved to help community events with her food.
“She was a very good cook, so we used to request her and she used to cook food for our community,” Khan said.
He said the small and tight-knit community was horrified by the news.
“It is really sad news … whatever has happened is not good, it’s a massive shock,” he said.
“It’s a small community, everyone knows each other … so we will be missing these guys.”
