Forensics continue to examine Leanyer home after mother found dead by husband
Police continue to examine a Leanyer property where a Darwin mother was killed in a suspected homicide, with police yet to formally interview the man arrested in relation to her death. Read what we know so far.
Northern Territory
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The Leanyer property where Darwin mother Sheena Fairfield, 39, was killed in a suspected homicide on Thursday remains a crime scene, with police yet to formally interview the man arrested in relation to her death.
In the early hours of Friday morning, heavily armed police officers descended on a Rosebery property, about 20km from Ms Fairfield’s home, after her husband found her dead with multiple stab wounds and cut wrists.
A 56-year-old man was arrested after police negotiated with him for more than an hour, according to neighbours.
He was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital where he remains under arrest with non-life threatening injuries, which police say he sustained before his arrest.
On Friday, Detective Sergeant Paul Morrissey said the man was in a “stable” condition and police would speak with him when given the opportunity by doctors.
It is suspected his injuries were self inflected.
Stewart Ct in Leanyer remained closed to all non-local traffic on Friday before being opened on Saturday, with forensics still examining the home.
No charges have been laid over Ms Fairfield’s death.
Woman found dead at Leanyer home
A woman may have lay critically injured in the front yard of a Leanyer home for hours before her husband discovered her body in what police are treating as a homicide investigation.
The 39-year-old woman suffered “multiple injuries” from what police said they would allege was a “sharp-edged type weapon” in an incident they believe happened about 2.30pm Thursday.
The woman’s 45-year-old husband, returning home from work about 5pm, phoned emergency services, reporting the woman was not responsive.
She was declared dead soon after 5pm.
About nine hours later, and 20km away, a 56-year-old man was taken into police custody after neighbours reported hearing the Territory Response Group talking with him inside a Rosebery property.
He was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital with non-life threatening injuries and remained there under police guard on Friday.
Now police are appealing for help tracking the movements of a silver Nissan Navara seen driving in the Leanyer area about 2.30pm, with a distinctive orange traffic cone in the tray.
“At this stage detectives are treating this incident as a homicide,” Detective Sergeant Paul Morrissey said.
Sergeant Morrissey said the man was listed in a “stable” condition on Friday with minor injuries that he had suffered before his arrest.
Police were late Friday waiting to speak to him.
“We’ll have to wait until the doctors give us the opportunity,” Sergeant Morrissey said.“I believe he’s in a stable condition. I don’t believe his injuries are life-threatening.”
No charges have been laid at this time.
The quiet Leanyer street remained closed off and a crime scene set up at the property; only local vehicles allowed down the cul-de-sac.
Forensic officers were seen at the property throughout Friday.
A single marked police vehicle remained outside the Rosebery property Friday morning.
Neighbours in both suburbs have told of their shock at the heavy police presence in the usually quiet streets.
“There were cars everywhere,” a Leanyer neighbour said.
Neighbours in Rosebery said they were “shocked” at the heavy police presence in their otherwise quiet street.
“When the police came it surprised me,” one neighbour told the NT News.
Other neighbours in the leafy suburb reported seeing heavily armed police officers at the property just after midnight.
Sergeant Morrissey said the victim and the 56-year-old man were known to each other but not related.
“I don’t know the full circumstance of their relationship,” he said.
He said the incident was not believed to be related to domestic violence.
Police were in contact with the victim’s husband, who Sergeant Morrissey said was “distraught”.
Police were searching for a silver Nissan Navara dual cab ute with a large orange witch’s hat in the back seen driving in the Leanyer area about 2.30pm on Thursday.
Sergeant Morrissey said police wanted to hear from anyone who had seen the car or had CCTV footage that may have captured the car.
“We encourage anyone that does have CCTV to contact us, especially if they’ve got that ute on it,” he said.
“We’ll be speaking to as many people as possible.”
Forensics were expected to remain at the Leanyer property until at least Saturday.
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