Australia - 7 dead in mass shooting and suicide - Osmington WA - 11 May 2018

[MelmothTheLost]

Four autistic children and their mother who was being 'stalked by her ex' are among the seven victims shot dead in a 'mass murder-suicide' in a remote family home south of Perth

These four autistic children and their mother - whom just weeks ago claimed she was being stalked by her ex - are among the seven victims of Australia's worst mass shooting for 20 years at a remote farmhouse this morning.

Four children and three adults were found shot dead in a grisly murder-suicide at the home in Osmington, Western Australia at 5am today.

The property is owned by Cynda Miles and her farmer husband Peter. Their daughter Katrina Cockman home-schooled her four autistic children aged eight to 13 on the farm.

Neighbour Felicity Haynes told Daily Mail Australia that Cynda and Peter had moved to the countryside to build the sustainable farm as a home for Katrina, her daughter and three sons.

Katrina, who referred to her 'four autistic children' in a recent Facebook post about a swimming lesson, wrote on the site last month: 'My ex does not stop stalking me.' It is not yet clear who the other two dead adults are.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...amily-live-mass-murder-suicide-farmhouse.html

Mods - I couldn't find a thread about this shooting but if I've missed one please amalgamate.

 

[Jax49]

[h=1]Family dead in Australia’s worst mass shooting in two decades[/h]
https://nypost.com/2018/05/11/family-dead-in-australias-worst-mass-shooting-in-two-decades/

Police are treating the incident as a murder-suicide and said they were not looking for any suspects, according to Australian news outlet ABC.

The children, whose ages were not disclosed, died with their mother and grandparents in Osmington, a village of fewer than 700 residents near the tourist town of Margaret River.

 

[GreyClay]

Four autistic children and their mother who was being 'stalked by her ex' are among the seven victims shot dead in a 'mass murder-suicide' in a remote family home south of Perth

Hmmm. Former partner does not seem to be involved atm:

Police are treating the incident as a murder-suicide and have confirmed they are not looking for any suspects.

A friend of the family has confirmed to the ABC that Katrina Miles and her four children were among the seven victims.

The friend confirmed that Katrina's parents, whose names are listed on the property title as Peter and Cynda Miles, were also killed in the incident.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-...dead-in-margaret-river-murder-suicide/9751482

Speculation / My own opinion...

 

[perfectingpink]

Katrina's Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/kat.cockman?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Katrina's Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/kat.cockman?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

I cannot access it. Has it just been removed?

 

[Morrisa]

Such a terrible tragedy. RIP. Thoughts and prayers with their loved ones.

 

[Elley Mae]

He said five bodies – the four children and one adult – were found inside a building while two adults were found outside.

https://www.theguardian.com/austral...ng-mother-and-her-four-children-among-victims

“To clarify, the building on the property in which five of the bodies were found is a shed that had been converted to living quarters.

 

[Elley Mae]

NEIGHBOURS have revealed hearing early morning gunshots after seven family members were found dead at a rural property south of Perth.

http://www.news.com.au/national/wes...a/news-story/77d88b0ab55d72537d8861cdd0ce544a

A “male person” connected to the property called police early on Friday morning. It is believed the triple-0 call was made by the killer, a man who is among the dead.

In a Facebook post on her own page, Ms Miles described herself as the “parent of four beautiful children”.

It’s understood all four kids had autism and were homeschooled. Friends described her as a mother absolutely devoted to her children.

“Something woke me up around 4am. I heard quite a few gunshots and I thought, ‘That’s a bit strange, that’s an odd hour to be shooting kangaroos’,” she told Perth Now.

“(The shots) were separated out, there was quite a long gap between them. It wasn’t one after another.”

Snippets, more at link.

 

[perfectingpink]

I cannot access it. Has it just been removed?

I can still access it. Are you signed into FB?

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I can still access it. Are you signed into FB?

I don't use facebook, so that may be the problem :thinking:

 

[MelmothTheLost]

A “male person” connected to the property called police early on Friday morning. It is believed the triple-0 call was made by the killer, a man who is among the dead.

So that is either Katrina's father or one of her sons. Looking at the photo of the children the two boys really aren't old enough to sound like men on the phone, so that rather points to her father.

The question around the most likely scenario is what could have made her father snap and shoot the entire family and then himself?

 

[claudianunes]

The people deceased were the mother, the four children and a set of grandparents? If it was a murder-suicide, no ex is involved.

 

[afajag]

Could be more to it..Katrina's FB has a different surname in the address bar so either she is living with the ex parents or her own parents. I have heard the former and also heard ex was stalking her. And the male caller was who, the grandpa? Doesn't really add up yet!

 

[Elley Mae]

So that is either Katrina's father or one of her sons. Looking at the photo of the children the two boys really aren't old enough to sound like men on the phone, so that rather points to her father.

The question around the most likely scenario is what could have made her father snap and shoot the entire family and then himself?

The male being described as “connected to the property” I wonder if he is a farm hand.?

 

[afajag]

im thinking given the choice in eye wear that's her brother/s. With kids, grandma, grandpa so yeah more than likely not her in-laws. Hard for me to believe one of these people killed 7 people (might be more to it?), just so tragic

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Could be more to it..Katrina's FB has a different surname in the address bar so either she is living with the ex parents or her own parents. I have heard the former and also heard ex was stalking her. And the male caller was who, the grandpa? Doesn't really add up yet!

The Guardian article says she and the children were living on a property owned by her parents, not her ex's family.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

The male being described as “connected to the property” I wonder if he is a farm hand.?

That hadn't occurred to me, but it seems unlikely unless the farm was being actively worked. From the articles linked, it sounds as though the property was bought to be somewhere Katrina could bring up and educate the children rather than a working farm. But who knows?

 

[eucalyptuz]

It is very sad that the last two mass shootings in a country that has almost eradicated them occurred in farming communities where maybe the farmers are doing it hard...
...a little snooping on this family's SM indicates some recent hardships.

It is worth mentioning that farmers are some of the few Australians that are allowed to own guns...

 

[afajag]

The Guardian article says she and the children were living on a property owned by her parents, not her ex's family.

Yes that's what I read, then I saw someone comment otherwise. The guardian is probably a more reliable source anyhow.

 

[afajag]

It is very sad that the last two mass shootings in a country that has almost eradicated them occurred in farming communities where maybe the farmers are doing it hard...
...a little snooping on this family's SM indicates some recent hardships.

It is worth mentioning that farmers are some of the few Australians that are allowed to own guns...

TBH I didn't really get the feel for financial hardships in that family..Having that acreage in that area with a pool and off road buggy seems a bit of a luxury but maybe I missed something. Certainly the disability could be trying and with changes to NDIS lately a final straw. Really don't know, but I still wonder about where Katrina's ex comes into this tragedy, if at all.