Kathleen Joyce Heggs appears at Parramatta court on murder charges

A photo of the two boys, who were found dead in a New South Wales home on Monday, on display at a vigil. Photo / 9News

• Kathleen Joyce Heggs, 66, was refused bail on two counts of murder at Parramatta Local Court.
• Max, 7, and Sam, 6, were found dead in a Coonabarabran home during a police welfare check.
• A candlelit vigil was held for the boys, with an investigation under way by detectives.

The grandmother who allegedly murdered her two grandsons has appeared in court for the first time.

Kathleen Joyce Heggs, 66, was refused bail on two counts of murder at Parramatta Local Court in Australia on Saturday.

Heggs’ legal representation did not apply for bail and the hearing only lasted roughly five minutes.

She will reappear at Parramatta Local Court on May 21 for a committal hearing.

The parents of two boys who were allegedly killed in Coonabarabran this week paid tribute to their sons, just as the police announced the murder charges against Heggs.

Crime scene police and detectives at the house in Coonabarabran. Photo / NewsWire / Dean Marzolla

Samantha Heggs and Troy Johnson told Nine News that brothers Max, 7, and Sam, 6, were extremely close and adored each other.

Nine reported the parents had lost custody of their sons, who were removed by the Department of Communities and Justice about four years ago.

Johnson said Max was never sick and was always happy and healthy.

“He was the happiest little kid. He never cried, even as a baby he didn’t cry,” he said.

“[Sam’s] the toughest little kid I’ve met, the way he went through the pain, the way he beat that cancer, he’s my hero.”

A candlelit vigil was held in memory of two boys whose bodies were found in a home in regional northwest New South Wales.

Max and Sam were found inside a home in Coonabarabran by police conducting a welfare check on Monday.

Heggs was arrested at the scene and taken to a mental health facility in Orange.

Police believe the grandmother “attempted to self-harm” before she was arrested and taken to hospital.

A crime scene has been established and officers attached to Orana Mid-Western Police District have commenced an investigation under Strike Force Darnum, assisted by detectives from State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad.

– News.com.au