Indigenous siblings take their own lives just five months apart – as broken family claim both were failed by public systems

A beloved young dad made a harrowing plea before his body was found near a school. Months later, his broken younger sister took her own life.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following article contains images of deceased persons. Distressing content.

A family has been torn apart after two Indigenous siblings died of suspected suicides just five months apart.

Phemise Murray, 23, had repeatedly sought help in the weeks before his body was found near a school in April last year.

While his family was still grieving, his younger sister Kitana took her own life.

Kitana’s death at just 21 came as she struggled with homelessness and the impact of losing a big brother seen as the “protector” for the family.

Now, the family from the regional NSW town of Dubbo is demanding answers from public systems they say let the siblings down when they were at their most vulnerable.

Phemise Edward Murray, 23, died in April 2024. Picture: Supplied

Kitana Murray was just 21 when she died. Picture: Supplied

‘No one wants to help’: Young dad’s harrowing plea

Phemise had sought treatment at the local hospital more than once in the lead up to his death, according to his devastated family.

He was discharged from Dubbo Base Hospital in March, one night after he had made an attempt at his life and despite the protests of the woman who raised him, his aunt Natalie Kennedy.

“He said, ‘Can I stay in another night?,” Ms Kennedy told news.com.au.

“I said, ‘my son just tried to jump off a bridge’. And they refused to keep him in.”

The young father-of-two’s mental health continued to decline in the days afterwards and he returned to the hospital with Ms Kennedy, where she claims he was told there were “no mental health workers here today”.

“And he looked back at the nurse and he just jumped up and walked straight out,” she said.

“I tried to get him to go back up and he started crying in the car and he said, ‘What’s the point Aunty Nat? No one wants to help’”.

Phemise was the protector of his family, according to loved ones. Picture: Supplied

A talented rugby league player in his youth, Phemise, known as Muzz, was missing for three days before his body was uncovered.

Tragically, Ms Kennedy later received a phone call from a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre Phemise had applied for telling her he had been accepted: “And I said, ‘you’re too late, I’ve put my son to rest’.”

Adding further pain has been the fact that almost 10 months on, Phemise’s family still don’t know what his final days looked like.

The absence of details has led them to speculate, despite his mental health struggles, that he may have met with foul play.

They say he had been worried about his safety in the period before his death after being assaulted in Dubbo.

A shrine where Phemise’s body was found. Picture: Supplied

A similar one was made for Kitana. Picture: Supplied

‘We can’t help you’: Sister takes her life

Children were on the way to school when they spotted Kitana Murray’s body in the popular Elston Park.

Family told news.com.au the young woman known as Tana to her friends was living in temporary accommodation but had been known to sleep at the spot where Phemise was found, which is located in a different park, and was there earlier on the night she died.

“But she reached out (to Community Services),” aunt Kylie Wells said.

“She went in and she told them that she needed somewhere to stay. And what their response to her was, ‘your (case) worker’s not in, so we can’t help you today’.

“So they sent away a girl in their system who’s needing somewhere to stay.”

Ms Kennedy said if Tana – who grew up in state care – had been properly housed and had access to counselling after Phemise’s death “maybe she would have not took her own life”.

She was remembered as a “good, bright girl” who had been studying a course for women in trades.

Mahalia Doolan met Tana through community work and said her death was “horrific” for a family already dealing with such pain.

“I was just like, why is there another death?” Ms Doolan said.

“This is the second sibling, there has to be intervention somewhere along the way.”

When Tana’s body was found there were two children’s dummies in her pockets – belonging to Phemise’s kids – her family said.

Phemise Murray was taken to Dubbo Base Hospital after a first attempt at his own life. Picture: Ryan Young

The family buried two young members in the space of six months. Picture: Supplied

“He was the protector of the family,” Ms Kennedy said of Phemise.

“Always asking people, were they all right. He always had a smile on his face. He was a quiet boy. Loved music.”

But the 23-year-old’s mental health had deteriorated significantly during a stint in prison during the COVID-19 period, Ms Kennedy said.

She said the young man spent six months in isolation and was largely unable to contact his family on the outside.

Phemise’s loved ones said he had welcomed his second child in the days before his death, and find it hard to comprehend why he would have taken his own life.

They fear that his death was written off as self-harm too soon and say their concerns went unanswered by police: “They said, ‘well he’s gone, that’s not going to bring him back’.”

The deaths of Phemise and Kitana rocked the community due to their shocking public nature, and raised questions about the care available to manage a wave of mental illness among young people in the region.

Kitana Murray was remembered as a bright girl. Picture: Supplied

She was known as ‘the life of the party’. Picture: Supplied

The family are also seeking answers about the efforts police made to find Phemise, and what investigations had been undertaken into how he died.

“I don’t think the police went and bothered even looking for him. They never posted anything on Facebook to say that he was missing,” Ms Kennedy said.

“The only post that was on Facebook that he was missing was from family and friends.”

Ms Wells, Natalie’s ex-sister in law, said the family believed this was another failure Phemise suffered in life.

“The hospital failed him, mental health failed him and the police failed him,” she said.

“All of the systems that were supposed to help save lives and protect … none of them did the duties they were supposed to do,” she said.

A spokesperson for Western NSW Local Health District, which oversees Dubbo Hospital, offered “sincere condolences to the family, friends and community of the young people who

have passed away”.

“Western NSW Local Health District is committed to ensuring access to safe, high quality and timely mental health care for our community, and we continue to work towards reducing suicides,” they said.

Minister for Housing, Homelessness and Mental Health Rose Jackson. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

NSW Mental Health and Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson said in a statement she was “heartbroken by the deaths of these siblings and extend my sincere condolences to their family”.

“I want to assure the community that we are doing everything we can to address mental health challenges right across the state, especially in regional and rural areas,” she said.

“We know that addressing homelessness and the housing crisis is an important part of this solution and government has a role to play in ensuring people have access to the wraparound services and care they need.”

NSW Police said both Phemise and Kitana’s cases had been referred to the coroner to determine the cause of death and whether an inquest would be held.

The police did not respond to questions about what inquiries officers conducted at the time.

It has not yet been determined if either Phemise’s or Kitana’s deaths would be investigated by the coroner, the court told news.com.au.

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Originally published as Indigenous siblings take their own lives just five months apart – as broken family claim both were failed by public systems