Father of two slain boys Russell and Benjamin Smith shares heartbreaking message

The father of the two young boys, broke his silence on Thursday with a heartbreaking statement thanking the community for their support — as neighbours on the boys’ street were united in their grief and support.

Brothers Russell and Ben Smith, aged 9 and 11, that were discovered by their father, Nick Smith, at the family’s Faulconbridge property on Tuesday afternoon.

Nick Smith – the father of the two young boys, broke his silence on Thursday with a heartbreaking statement thanking the community for their support.

“The loss of our two beautiful boys has caused unimaginable pain and distress,” Mr Smith said.

“Russell and Ben were happy, funny, outgoing boys, and were very much loved by their family and friends.

“Like other boys their age, they loved sports, soccer, the Penrith Panthers, fishing, books, music, spending time with their friends and Max their pup.”

Mr Smith said the shocking nature in which his sons died had been difficult for the family to comprehend.

Nick, Russell, Benjamin and the boys’ mother Trish Smith who is under police guard in hospital.

Pictured is Benjamin Smith, 11, who was found dead in his Blue Mountains home.

“We cannot understand how our boys have been taken this way and we appreciate the kindness and compassion shown by the community,” he said.

“We also ask the media respects our need for privacy at this time and give us the time and space we need to grieve.”

A spokesman for the Penrith Panthers confirmed the club had made contact with Mr Smith and had offered the family their support at this difficult time.

The steady stream of locals visiting the Chapman Parade home continued throughout Thursday, as families, classmates and friends added hand – written letters to Russell and Ben, toy bears and bouquets of flowers to the growing display at the front gate.

The family released this picture of the boys happily fishing together.

Carla Addams, 21 who has lived on Chapman Ave her entire life, said she remembers holding Ben when he was a baby at the street’s Christmas party almost a decade ago.

“They were just a normal loving family, the boys were always playing in the street and riding their bikes with their mum,” Ms Addams said.

“She seemed friendly and would always wave hello, it’s just so shocking and confronting.

“It’s something you hear about happening in America or a true crime documentary, but not a few doors down from you.”

Neighbours living where two young boys were robbed of their future, allegedly at the hands of their own mother, are struggling to comprehend the “incomprehensible” as they are left only to ask each other “how could someone do this”.

Residents of the serene, and tidy Chapman Avenue in the Blue Mountains suburb of Faulconbridge said they would not put into words how the “confronting, terrifying and tragic” events has shattered their family-oriented neighbourhood.

A mourner brings tributes to lay at the front of the house. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

A man who has lived three doors down from the family since 1997 said there was “never any reason to suspect something like could happen”, adding to a growing chorus of voices remarking “they were just an ordinary couple”.

“I walk past my dog past their house three days a week and never had any reason to suspect this, it’s just a shock,” he said.

Another woman, who asked not to be named and has lived on the street for 37 years, said Chapman Ave was “a lovely place” where families moved to raise their children.”

“I don’t think anyone living here can make sense of what happened, it’s incomprehensible,” she said.

“We just want to know how could somebody do this. It’s just a tragedy that she felt helpless and that she had no other options and as a result those two little boys have no future.”

Community united in grief

It’s believed the two boys were stabbed to death in their beds, with NSW Police investigating whether they were drugged beforehand.

The boy’s mother remains under police guard in hospital with self-inflicted injuries to her arms, following the deaths of Russell and Benjamin Smith, aged 9 and 11, who were found by their father Nick at the family’s Faulconbridge property on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Smith called police after he had not had contact from his estranged wife for an “unusual” amount of time, and a major investigation into the two deaths was launched.

Trish Smith, the boys’ 42-year-old mother, was at the property when emergency services arrived and was transported to Westmead Hospital under police guard in a stable condition with self-inflicted wounds.

It is understood the boys died as a result of multiple stab wounds while laying in their beds, however it is not yet known whether this occurred on the day their bodies were discovered, or the night before.

Dozens of local families visited the Chapman Parade home throughout the day on Wednesday, some fighting back tears as they laid wreaths, bouquets of flowers, handwritten cards and toys in tribute to the two boys.

Two toy cars with the words “Rest in peace angels, fly high in heaven” written on them were tied to the fence around the home, which remained a crime scene blocked off with police tape.

One local woman placed two stuffed toy animals at the foot of the front gate, with cards for both boys which read: “fly high little man.”

A mourner brings tributes to lay at a crime scene on Chapman Pde, Faulconbridge, where Police continue to investigate the deaths of brothers Russell and Ben Smith. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

The brothers were much loved members of the Our Lady of Nativity school community and parish in Lawson and featured in dozens of the school’s recent Facebook posts smiling and receiving awards in STEM and sports.

On Wednesday Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese said in a statement the entire community was grieving the loss of the two young students.

“Our Catholic schools community is devastated by the tragic deaths of Ben and Russell, two students of Our Lady of the Nativity Primary School in Lawson,” the statement said.

“Counselling and wellbeing support is available to students and staff at Our Lady of the Nativity today, and will continue to be provided in the coming weeks.

“The care and kindness of the broader Blue Mountains community at this difficult time is much appreciated.

“With police investigations continuing, we are unable to comment any further at this time.”

Photographs shared to Facebook show the high achieving and seemingly happy young boys smiling while receiving certificates and medals for their work and also celebrating their birthdays.

Another image posted, shows the family - including mother Trish and father Nick at the Our Lady of Nativity Parish church for Easter in late March.

Trish who lost her job during the pandemic, started her urban farming business FarmSmith, in the family’s front yard.

Sharing the business’ backstory in a 2021 blog post, she sung the praises of a mental health toolkit she “regularly” used after receiving it at a NSW DPI Young Farmer Business Conference in 2020.

Her post included plans to create a checklist for herself and future employees “to maintain good mental health”.

An investigation into the deaths is ongoing.

“Psychological skills are great when things are going well, and essential during a crisis,” she wrote.

“I feel really grateful that I have access to education and support to understand my mental health better, and it’s been empowering in the chaos that has been the last year, to be able to stop, bring awareness to my experience and then take steps to ensure I look after myself.

“I’m only just starting in my first growing season. My plan is to focus on what is within my control. Observe, monitor and plan. Make decisions based on my context and values. Use risk management across all aspects of the business to increase resilience. And most importantly, look after myself.”

Quoting a line from ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ by Austrian philosopher Viktor Frankl, Trish wrote:

“To me this means that even though a situation is stressful and really difficult, with mindfulness, I can make decisions from a place of calm. It is within my power to choose this response.”

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the tragedy has “touched very many people” within the community.

Mother Trish Smith was transported to hospital with self-inflicted wounds.

“We lost two beautiful souls from our community and the word despair doesn’t even adequately describe how the entire community is feeling,” he said.

“The family has lots of connections to everybody else in school and sports.

“This touches very many people.”

Despite not knowing the family personally, Mr Greenhill said the deaths of the two boys “deeply affects the whole of the community.”

“The Blue Mountains is very familiar with disaster, bush fire and natural events test us all the time and we come together, we support and reach out,” he said.

“That culture of being prepared, people are automatically looking out for each other.

“The Blue Mountains is a very close knit place.”

A friend of the family said the community was facing a “very hard and emotional time.”

“We as a community are grieving the loss of not only children but friends as well,” she said.