Man charged with murder after woman found dead in Pokolbin

A man has been charged with murder after his wife was found dead with several injuries at a property in the NSW Hunter Region. Police will allege he ran her down with a car.

A man is under arrest after a woman was found dead at a property in the Hunter Valley.

A man charged with murdering his wife is alleged to have run her down with a car at their Hunter Valley bed and breakfast, in a second tragedy for the family that lost their child in a drowning only months earlier.

To the outside world and authorities, Steve and Natalie Galcsik may have appeared like any other small town family.

They had a sprawling bed and breakfast in the heart of NSW wine country in Pokolbin – right next door to a popular vineyard.

But detectives are now investigating whether a potential relationship breakdown preceded Natalie’s alleged murder on the idyllic property where their luxury self-contained cottages stood.

The alleged murder comes 14 months after the tragic drowning death of their child.

Police at the Galcsiks’ Pokolbin holiday accommodation, where they also resided. Credit: TNV

Natalie, 46, was found gravely injured at their home on Coulson Rd in Pokolbin when police responded to a concern for welfare just after 6pm on Friday night.

“Officers attached to Hunter Valley Police District attended and located a 46-year-old woman with significant injuries,” a police spokesperson said.

“She was treated at the scene but could not be revived.”

Police have now charged Steve, 47, with Natalie’s murder, and will allege he ran her over with his car.

Detectives are now investigating whether Steve ran his wife down in front of their relatives, and how many times he allegedly ran her over after the initial impact.

He was due to face Newcastle Bail Court on Saturday.

The Sunday Telegraph understands the couple’s adult son made the call to emergency services, and that there was no history of domestic violence between the pair.

It can now be revealed Steve, who is now in custody on remand, will be prevented from contacting his adult son through an apprehended domestic violence order.

That order will be mentioned for the first time at Cessnock Local Court on October 2.

Police had never been called to the Galcsiks’ address before, but it is understood the couple had recently been dealing with marital issues.

Emergency services continued to explore the crime scene on Saturday. Credit: TNV

It is another tragic twist for the family, after the Galcsiks’ seven-year-old son drowned in a dam near their property 14 months ago.

Emergency services raced to the property on August 18, 2023 following reports the child had been pulled from a dam unconscious, with NSW Ambulance paramedics unable to revive him despite their best efforts.

A crime scene was established after Natalie’s death at the family’s Pokolbin property, where the couple ran the Unlax accommodation.

The “boutique accommodation venue” incorporates multiple self-contained cottages and is a short distance from Blueberry Hill Wines.

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