Arya News - Two autistic brothers were killed by their parents who then took their own lives in a suspected murder-suicide in Australia.
Two autistic brothers were killed by their parents who then took their own lives in a suspected murder-suicide in Australia.
The bodies of Jarrod Clune, 50, his partner Maiwenna “Mai” Goasdoue, 49, and their sons Leon, 16, and Otis, 14, were found at their property in Mosman Park, a wealthy suburb of Perth , on Friday.
Friends and support workers of the family said the couple killed their sons, who were both non-verbal, and then themselves after feeling “failed” by the country’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Police have not officially confirmed how the family died but Jessica Securo, a detective at the scene, said the case was being treated as a “murder-suicide”.
Maiwenna Goasdoue and her partner Jarrod Clune found it difficult to access the care they needed for their sons
She also noted there was no known history of domestic violence at the address. “There doesn’t appear to be a violent incident that has occurred at the house,” she said.
The bodies were found after a care worker arrived for a routine visit on Friday morning and found a note on the front door saying “Don’t enter” and instructions to emergency services.
When officers entered, they found the dead family members and their two dogs and a cat, which were also killed, in different areas of the house.
Drone images taken above the house showed suspected bloodstains on bed sheets hanging out to dry.
A second note found on Saturday, believed to be a letter, outlined plans for the family’s finances and suggested the parents jointly decided to end their lives.
Otis Clune was found dead at the scene along with two pet dogs and a cat
On Friday, police said the boys both experienced “significant health challenges”. Reports suggested the family had lost government funding to support one of the disabled boys.
Maddie Page, a former support worker for the children, criticised the NDIS and told the service to “do better” in a tribute to the family on social media, The West Australian reported.
She wrote: “All [the boys] wanted was to be understood – and when they did, they captured your heart.
“My heart feels unbearably heavy knowing that the NDIS system failed them, and that they were made to feel they had no other choice. There truly was no one like them, and their parents were their biggest, fiercest supporters.
“May they rest in peace together as a family, NDIS – do better.”
Leon, 16, was the older of the two brothers
Nedra, a close family friend who declined to give her surname, told the Daily Mail the couple felt increasingly isolated and unsupported by friends and family as the boys’ diagnoses could make life “difficult and very challenging”.
She said: “They often felt isolated, unsupported and abandoned by family, friends, support services, schools, the NDIS, the health system and the community in general.
“No one can understand the endless fight to get the support and services they so desperately needed. Mai wouldn’t even put her boys into respite care in case they were mistreated in any way.”
Detectives attend the scene in Mosman Park, Perth - Channel 7 News
Nedra suggested that a “lack of support” and “chronic sleep deprivation” could have made the parents “feel they had no other option”.
Another friend, who chose to remain anonymous, described the parents as a “strong couple” who loved their children.
“Unfortunately they were fighting a losing battle against a system which is not here to assist,” they told The Daily Mail. “This was not a domestic violence-type murder-suicide.
“This tragedy arose because two parents were so beaten down by the system, so isolated, so fearful for the future of their children that they could see no other way out .”
Floral tributes and handwritten cards were left outside the house while white ribbons were tied to a nearby tree.
Members of the community plan to hold a candlelit vigil for the family.
The Telegraph has approached the NDIS for comment.
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