Father, 72, kills disabled middle-aged son in West Lakes murder-suicide

There were “no red flags” before a 72-year-old father fatally stabbed his disabled middle-aged son at their West Lakes home before taking his own life, police say.

Detectives and police at the scene of a murder-suicide at West Lakes. Picture: Dean Martin

Detectives are investigating a murder-suicide at West Lakes on Saturday, in which a father, 72, allegedly stabbed his son, 46, to death before turning the blade on himself.

Detective Inspector Mark Atkinson said the mother of the 46-year-old and wife of the 72-year-old returned home about 1.30pm to find the two men dead in the garage.

“Police are treating this as a murder-suicide,” he said.

“It’s a very tragic set of circumstances down here and a very emotional set of circumstances.”

Detectives and police at the scene of a murder-suicide at West Lakes. Picture: Dean Martin

Insp Atkinson said police were not searching for anybody else in relation to the deaths.

“It came unexpectedly; there’s certainly no red flags here,” he said.

“So, this is one of those tragic situations which was avoidable, which makes it even more upsetting to the neighbours and to the family.”

As many as 20 nearby residents gathered to hear Insp Atkinson speak about the tragedy.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the son was severely disabled and in a wheelchair. They said the incident came as a shock.

“It’s absolutely horrifying, you never hear of anything happening in West Lakes,” they said. “I feel awful.”

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Insp Atkinson urged anyone experiencing family violence to speak up.

“If you or someone else that you know is involved with family violence or violence within the family situation, you should call the police on triple-0 and seek the support and the help you need.”

Detectives from Western District CIB and Major Crime Investigation Branch, along with forensic crime scene investigators, attended the scene.