Timeline of Gunnedah tragedy: How family holiday ended in 10-year-old girl's death

Police and State Emergency Service conduct a search near the Gunnedah farmhouse where a 14-year-old girl allegedly murdered her 10-year-old cousin. Photo / Nathan Edwards / News Corp Australia

WARNING: Distressing content

It began as a shared holiday between female cousins from a well-known and comfortably off family enjoying the school holidays together after the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The holidays began last Friday, 3 July with the ten-year-old cousin preparing to travel 350km northeast from her home in central western NSW.

She was headed for a property near Gunnedah, which has a population of around 13,000, set in cotton, cattle and crop producing country on NSW's fertile, but drought affected, Liverpool Plains.

Police and SES conduct a search near the Gunnedah farmhouse where a 14-year-old girl is alleged to have killed her cousin, 10. Photo / News Corp Australia

The young girl's aunt had lived on the property, northeast of Gunnedah, for more than a decade along with the girl's female cousin, now age 14.

At around 6.30am, the 10-year-old's aunt left the homestead on the property to do farm work.

Her niece and her 14-year-old daughter both appeared to be sleeping when she left the house.

At 7am, the woman returned to the house and entered the girls' bedroom where she discovered her niece suffering serious injuries.

The woman's teenage daughter was missing.

Forensic officers continued to searched the area yesterday. Photo / News Corp Australia

The woman immediately dialled emergency services. Paramedics tried to revive the girl but she was already deceased.

Police from Oxley Police District established a crime scene and officers began searching for the woman's missing daughter.

Just after 8.30pm, the police located the teenager on a neighbouring property in a dazed state and arrested her.

They took her into custody and drove her into Gunnedah Police Station.

During the day, the 14-year-old was questioned at the station while police conduct a search of the property which sits on a few hundred hectares of land.

Police and SES near the property where a 10-year-old girl was killed. Photo / News Corp Australia

At around 10pm Wednesday night, detectives charged the teenager with her cousin's murder and remanded her in custody until Thursday to appear at Tamworth Children's Court.

Police allege in court documents the girl murdered her cousin between 7am and 7:20am.

Overnight, the 10-year-old's parents were travelling to Gunnedah.

On Thursday police returned to the property to do a line search for the alleged murder weapon and any other items.

The 14-year-old appeared in Tamworth Children's Court where she did not apply for bail, which was formally refused.