Russell Island house fire: Family history probed as detectives keep ‘open mind’
The grandmother of five young boys who perished in a house fire on Russell Island along with their father has spoken about the “nightmare”.
Emergency Services
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The grandmother of five young boys who perished in a house fire on Russell Island along with their father on Sunday has spoken about the “nightmare”.
Rebecca Stephenson, the boys’ maternal grandmother, has described the tragic events as “every mother’s worst nightmare and more”.
“She is the most doting mother she is devastated we all are,” Ms Stephenson said of her daughter Samantha Stephenson, who escaped the blaze unharmed.
“I just can’t imagine a worse feeling than that. If you could have seen her with her boys and Wayne, the love of her life, they just were everything to her.
She said the boys’ father, Wayne Godinet, worked hard “to make sure the kids didn’t go without”.
“He really was everything to (Samantha) and the boys,” she said.
“He died with his arms around all of the boys.”
Her comments come after Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk visited Russell Island on Tuesday and after police confirmed they would review their previous call-outs to the house, as homicide investigators join a team of detectives examining the deaths.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham revealed police were planning to conduct formal interviews with the two women who escaped the fire – the children’s mother, Samantha Stephenson, and her sister – while acknowledging investigators were keeping an “open mind”.
There is no suggestion either has engaged in any wrongdoing, or suspected of any wrongdoing.
Det Sup Massingham said 25 detectives were investigating the blaze, with an investigation centre set up at the Cleveland Police Station.
“Until we determine whether it’s suspicious or whether the matter is put before a coroner, it is standard practice to involve detectives of this nature (and) the size of the taskforce,” he said.
Wayne Godinet, 34, and his five children, Zack, 11, Harry, 10, four-year-old twins Kyza and Koah, and Nicky, 3, died when their Russell Island house caught alight on Sunday morning.
Ms Stephenson, 28, and her sister managed to get to safety.
Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the island cul-de-sac shortly after 6am after multiple triple-0 callers reported a fire at the home had spread to a neighbouring house and was threatening a third.
Within minutes, the third house had also caught alight.
The Todman St home where Mr Godinet and Ms Stephenson lived with their children was completely destroyed, with the upstairs level where the five boys slept collapsing.
Witnesses have told how Ms Stephenson screamed “my children, my children” after the children’s father raced upstairs into the flames and never returned.
Det Supt Massingham said more work was needed before police could determine what brought about the tragedy.
“The establishment of that investigation centre is because there are some elements of this incident yesterday that do require closer scrutiny,” Supt Massingham said.
“No determination has been made at this stage as to whether this fire is suspicious or not.
“It’s important that I tell you that we are keeping an open mind with respect to this matter.”
Det Supt Massingham said police had been called to the home before and all aspects of the couple’s involvement with police were being reviewed.
“I can confirm … that police have been to the residence in the past but the nature and frequency of our attendance there is subject to internal review and will be part of the investigation,” he said.
“As to (why) the male was … at the address is still subject to the investigation.”
He said the two women who escaped the fire had provided an “initial version” to police.
“You can appreciate both were extremely traumatised as a result of what happened,” he said.
“Their medical needs superseded our needs at that time.
“It was important at that time we obtain a quick version from them but their medical needs superseded our needs at that time.”
Both women were expected to be interviewed by detectives yesterday.
Members of the Disaster Victim Identification Squad combed the fireground yesterday, with police planning to remove the bodies of Mr Godinet and the children from the collapsed home.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Tuesday visited the Bay Island Memorial Gardens where she placed flowers “on behalf of all Queenslanders” as well as Russell Island State School where Zach and Harrison were pupils.
“There is not a person across Queensland who haven’t been impacted by this tragedy,” she said.
“Our hearts go out to the community and I just want to reassure the residents here that we will absolutely be here for them with anything that they need.”
Ms Palaszczuk thanked Red Cross volunteers and community chaplains, making a note to the rural fire brigade who, according to locals, had the fire under control before the main land supports had arrived.
Visiting the island alongside the Premier, Police commissioner Katarina Carroll took the opportunity to reiterate that police will keep an open mind when approaching the investigation.
“They are many people involved in this, at least 25 from yesterday and probably more today,” she said.
“Every aspect, including the family, the couple every aspect will be investigated.
“There are experienced investigators who have done this many many times, very difficult no doubt gut-wrenching, and they will do this with sensitivity and they will constantly keep going this until we get to the bottom of what’s occurred.”
The commissioner also confirmed the bodies had still not been moved from the burnt rubble of the house.
A family member of Ms Stephenson, Angela Stephenson, posted an online tribute on social media.
“Firstly the Godinets and Stephensons want to say thank you for the condolences, love and prayers at this time,” she wrote.
“We ask that you all continue to respect our space to grieve and make some sense of this tragedy.
“We are completely broken. They are all so loved and will forever be loved, forever my boys and to my hero Wayne.”
Supt Massingham appealed for anyone who knew anything in relation to the fire to contact police.
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