Homicide detectives investigating woman’s stabbing death in Bruce

Homicide detectives are investigating a possible murder suicide following the horror stabbing death of a woman in Canberra, while a man recovers in hospital under police guard.

Detective Inspector Mark Steel (right) adressed the media at Winchester Police Station following the death of a woman in Bruce on October 23, 2023. Picture: Sam Turner

The daughter of two long term Bruce residents discovered the gruesome scene where her mother was stabbed to death while her father fights for life in hospital, police say.

Homicide detectives and forensics were combing the scene of a Kinloch Cct home following the stabbing death of a 65-year-old woman on Monday afternoon.

Emergency services rushed to the area about 5.40pm after the woman’s daughter found her mum and her father, a 70-year-old man, with serious injuries.

Sadly, the mother died at the scene while the father was taken to hospital in a serious condition with injuries to his wrist.

Police say she suffered from “a number of stab wounds”. No other people were believed to be involved.

Police at the scene of the Bruce home on Monday evening.

Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Steel told media on Tuesday the incident was being treated as a murder and will be handled by ACT Policing’s homicide squad.

Superintendent Steel said the woman was found in the kitchen and sadly could not be revived by paramedics, while the man was unresponsive when they arrived.

Detective Inspector Mark Steel outside Winchester Police Station on Tuesday.

He has not yet spoken to police and is under guard in hospital. No charges have been laid.

The veteran cop said police were called by the pair’s daughter who came across the gruesome scene, with no one else at the home at the time.

“As you can imagine the family are very traumatised by the incident, certainly an incident involving both their mother and father,” Superintendent Steel said.

Police are yet to establish a motive but were investigating whether it was a murder-suicide.

Superintendent Steel said there was “very little history” on the man and woman, but said officers hadn’t attended the Kinloch Cct home in recent times.

He did say both were residing at the home together and had been long term residents of Bruce.

Police would not confirm if the pair were married, with the circumstances of their relationship under investigation.

Superintendent Steel said there were no signs of a struggle at the scene.

Detectives and forensics will continue to comb through the crime scene.

“Distressed” people linked to a home in Bruce were witnessed consoling each other following the death of the woman on Monday afternoon.

Several neighbours told this publication they heard no suspicious noises or saw any signs of distress from the Bruce home before police swarmed the street.

One resident said it was a “terrifying” incident for the sleepy area inhabited by families and share houses.

Another community member, who wished to be anonymous, said they saw people “pretty distressed” and consoling one another outside the Bruce home after police arrived.

Other neighbours said the residents of the home which was a crime scene were polite and would often wave and say hello in the street.