Mum not allowed to bury children killed in murder-suicide caravan blast

KATH Hinder’s life was turned upside down by the grotesque murder-suicide that shook a Queensland mining town. Two years on, she’s still waiting to bury her “babies”.

The Hinders before a bitter custody battle ended in murder-suicide.

FAMILY are yet to hold a funeral for two children killed in a deadly caravan blast in Mount Isa.

Two years ago, Kath Hinder’s life was turned upside down by the grotesque murder-suicide that shook the mining town.

Her daughter Nyobi, 7, was “outgoing, innocent, and full of talking”. Her son River, 4, a “wide-eyed and curious” boy.

Her estranged boilermaker husband Charlie Hinder, 39, rigged two 9kg LPG gas canisters to detonate in a makeshift bomb that left body parts strewn up to 100m away, shattered nearby doors and windows, and forced the evacuation of 50 homes.

Police at the scene of the explosion. Picture: Jack Tran

In a town used to explosions, the shockwaves of the blast were heard up to 2km away.

When police and fire crews arrived they encountered a hail of bullets as live rounds of ammunition left as a booby-trap kept detonating in the fireball of the wreckage of the caravan on the front lawn of the family home.

Kath was inside the Deighton Street house that was also destroyed and escaped with minor injuries.

But she lives with the psychological trauma of her loss and the gruesome carnage she witnessed on July 28, 2015.

“I miss my babies every day,” said Kath, in a police statement.

“Through friends and family I push through, taking each day as it comes.

“I hope something like this never happens again. I continue to help police as much as I can and I look forward to their findings in the near future.’’

Kath and Charlie Hinder with River and Nyobi.

Police investigations centred on a bitter custody battle between the couple and suspect the murder-suicide was one of the nation’s most horrific acts of domestic violence and spousal revenge.

Kath had told the police that she was “resigned to the fact” Hinder had done it intentionally. She knew that he killed himself and murdered their children. It wasn’t an accident.

“I’m not going anywhere without my kids,” a depressed Hinder told a local convenience store owner before the blast. “I can’t leave my kids.’’

Two years on, Kath is waiting for the state coroner to decide whether or not to hold an inquest before she can lay her babies to rest.

“There is so much that is unfinished,’’ her uncle Peter Axsentieff told The Sunday Mail.

“It was just such a terrible thing. It was horrific for everyone. It is too painful to dwell on.

“Maybe an inquest will give some answers, hopefully bring some peace.’’

The State Coroner’s office said the initial coronial investigation was still listed as “currently ongoing”.

The scene of the murder-suicide. Picture: Jack Tran

“The deaths of Charlie Hinder and his children were reported to the Northern Coroner, Mr Kevin Priestly, for investigation,’’ his office said.

“The coroner will await receipt of all investigation material before making a decision as to whether this matter will proceed to inquest.”

Detective Inspector Kelly Harvey, who was in charge of the case, told how “it was one of saddest investigations I’ve ever had to deal with”.

“Body parts were all over the road, and on the roofs of houses, police had to recover all those pieces as respectfully as we could.

“We had to try to identify what parts belonged to who, so the families could go through the grieving process.”

She said it had a big impact on the mental health of a lot of officers.

“It is rare but there are some other sad cases like it worldwide, where a partner will go and murder their children out of spite towards the person who they once loved.

“It is one of those cases I hope to never encounter again.”

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