Mum shoots dead her family

SYDNEY - A mother shot her husband and two young children dead before turning the gun on herself in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, police believe.

Relatives found the bodies of Sally Elizabeth Winter and Steven Anthony Winter, both 32, along with their 4-year-old son Jake, and daughter Casey Rose, 3, at their home at Oakhampton Heights, near Maitland, on Sunday.

Lower Hunter Area Commander Superintendent Charles Haggett yesterday said police believed Sally Winter killed the family.

"At this early stage in the investigation, police are treating the incident as a murder-suicide," Haggett told reporters.

"It appears Sally Winter has used the firearm, resulting in the death of her husband and the two children, before turning the firearm on herself, resulting in her death."

He said the weapon, registered to Steven Winter, was found with Sally Winter's body, leading police to conclude she had done the killings.

The bodies of the family were found throughout the house on Sunday afternoon, but police were yet to determine when the killings happened.

Neighbours described the Winters as private, saying they were not well-known in the semirural suburb, where they had lived for a year.

"I think they kept to themselves," said a resident, who did not want to be named. "It's not your general suburbia where you've got houses right next to each other."

The resident said the properties all ranged in size from about 1.2ha to 4ha, "So I think people here have a tendency to keep to themselves".

Oakhampton Heights resident Nick Serras said he used to wave to the family as he drove by the Forest Hill Drive house.

"It's a tragedy," he said.

"I think the community is still in shock and will be for quite some time."

Some neighbours described the Winters as an ideal family, while others said they were struggling to overcome marriage difficulties.

One neighbour, who would not give his name, believed Sally Winter had recently moved back into the family's near-new home in an attempt to work through the couple's problems.

Police would not confirm the reports, but Haggett said a strike force set up to investigate the killings would look into the family's circumstances.

Maitland Mayor Peter Blackmore said the shock at the tragedy had been coupled with anger at the loss, particularly, of two young children.

"And, as a matter of fact, you get quite angry. Not knowing the full details of course, but the fact is that three innocent people have lost their lives as a result," Blackmore said.

"There is a family of four wiped out, but someone has pulled the trigger and those three others have been taken away. Taken and at no fault of their own."

Blackmore said some questions might never be answered.

"What reason ... what reason?" he said.

"Four and three years of age - you know, it just really eats into you and you just can't imagine it.

"It is a feeling of anger that two young children are taken out that had the world in front of them.

"When you are a grandparent and parent yourself, you just don't understand and it's more reason why you put your arms around them and hold on to them for as long as you possibly can."

Post-mortem examinations of both adults were due to be conducted at Newcastle, with autopsies on the children scheduled for yesterday.

The killings happened just eight months after the murder-suicide of a family at East Gresford, 35km from the Winter family's home.

On July 11 last year, Michael Richardson, 32, smothered his son Luke, 3, daughter Grace, 20 months, and stabbed to death his estranged wife Roxanne, 30.

Richardson then turned a rifle on himself.

Tragic tally

Sally Winter is believed to be the only woman perpetrator of a murder-suicide in Australia in the past 12 months.

Ten other reported murder-suicides have occurred in Australia since April 11, 2004.

They include one which occurred 35km from the Winter family's home.

On July 11, 2004, Michael Richardson, 32, smothered his son Luke, 3, and daughter Grace, 20 months, and stabbed his estranged wife Roxanne, 30, to death.

He then killed himself with a rifle in their home at East Gresford, near Maitland, in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

- AAP