Bodies of man, woman found in Hunter Valley home
A Hunter Valley couple have been found dead in an apparent murder-suicide after a travel agent raised concerns they had failed to board a plane for an expensive holiday to South America.
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A Hunter Valley couple have been found dead in an apparent murder-suicide after a travel agent raised concerns they had failed to board a plane for an expensive holiday to South America.
Investigators believe mine worker Tim Ogle, 48, killed Trudy Dreyer, 49, at her homestead before turning the gun on himself.
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On Friday night, Ms Dreyer’s devastated family told The Saturday Telegraph they never expected Ogle to be a murderer and the mum-of-two had believed her new partner was “the one”.
“Trudy was the loveliest, most genuine person you could meet,” Dan Pollard, Trudy’s cousin by marriage, said.
“We met Tim a few weeks ago, we didn’t think much of him, we thought he was a deadbeat, we never imagined he could be a murderer.”
“She was a real romantic, put everything into relationship, she was very hopeful and thought this was the one.”
He said she was happy and looking forward to the future.
Ms Dreyer had previously been married and was the mother to two teenage children.
She had been in a relationship with Ogle for about nine months.
Ms Dreyer’s cousin Kim Ryan said: “Trudy was the most thoughtful, caring, generous person you could ever meet. Her death is an enormous loss to all her family and friends. She was such a gentle person — I never even saw her get angry. My heart is broken. I’ll miss her so much. She was so loved.”
Police found the bodies of the couple with gunshot wounds at a rambling property in Doyles Creek on Thursday afternoon.
They are investigating how volatile the couple’s relationship was before they were found dead.
“He pulled the trigger first,” a source close to the investigation told the Saturday Telegraph, adding, “We don’t know if the gun was registered or who is belonged to.”
It is believed they had been dead for several days, the timeline coinciding with their failure to board their flight to South America a few days ago.
Both worked at Mount Arthur coal mine and have children from previous relationships, who have been informed of their deaths. They were staying with their respective parents at the time.
Investigators are interviewing family members, neighbours and work colleagues of the couple in a bid to establish a motive for their apparent murder suicide.
It is understood Ogle had recently become possessive and paranoid in his relationship with Ms Dreyer.
The two were not known to police.
The tragedy has shocked the small rural community.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “Trudy was lovely, we knew her well, she and Tim had only just started dating, she was excited about the relationship but last I heard it wasn’t going well, they argued a lot.”
Cessnock Inspector Michael Gorman said: “The incident happened at a rural property which contained both a farm and a homestead.”
“Police are investigating what type of gun was used, it was a long arm, either a rifle or a shotgun.
“We do these types of calls quite regularly but you do not expect to find this outcome.
“The person who alerted police said they had not heard from the couple for a few days.
“Both parties had children from a previous marriage. They are all aged under 18 and were staying with family at the time.
“We are interviewing family and friends to establish the motive behind this tragedy and are not ruling out that the couple endured a volatile relationship. We’re keeping an open mind.
“As with all circumstances such as these, sometimes we never find out what truly happens.
“The children are in the care of other parents and are receiving counselling.”
If you are thinking about suicide or experiencing a personal crisis help is available.
Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14