‘Absolutely shattered’ dad returns to Perth after wife, kids killed in car fire ‘murder-suicide’

The “shattered” Perth father of two children killed in a suspected murder-suicide by their mother is “looking for answers”, his pastor has said.

The father whose two children and wife died in a Coogee car fire is “looking for answers”, his pastor has said, after making an agonising flight home.

Selvan Govindhan-Vairavan left Perth on Sunday on a surprise trip to see his brother in Philadelphia when he was told by police his young family had been killed in a suspected murder-suicide, during a layover at Doha Airport in Qatar.

The bodies of his wife, Selvamma Doreswamy, and children Abiyah, 10, and Aiden Selvan, eight, were found in the back seat of a torched Honda Jazz on Monday morning.

Mr Govindhan-Vairavan returned home on Wednesday night after travelling alone nearly 72 hours. His brother has since flown to Perth to support the “absolutely shattered” father.

Pastor of Canning Vale’s Tsaparah Tabernacle church – at which the family were well-known – Abraham Thavamani, said Mr Govindhan-Vairavan was traumatised that he could not see his family’s bodies.

“He is absolutely shattered … just like any of us, he is still looking for answers,” Dr Thavamani told 7News.

Pastor at the family's church, Dr Abraham Thavamani. Picture: 7 News

“He has no clue (as to why this happened) and there was a family who stayed with them late on Sunday night, even they couldn’t see anything (wrong). We didn’t see it coming, none of us.

“I’ve known Selvan and his family for seven years. None of us could have imagined this. The family was a healthy, loving, protective, stable family.”

Dr Thavamani said Ms Doreswamy was “always caring” for her children and would “defend” her children at “all times”.

“How could this be? What happened? I am perplexed! God only knows!” he said.

Close friend of the family Sam Revington told The West Australian there had been no signs that anything was troubling the couple.

“Nobody understands why this happened,” he said.

Mr Revington and his wife had visited Ms Doreswamy, who along with her husband worked at Fiona Stanley Hospital, at the family’s Canning Vale home last Wednesday.

“She gave us coffee and everything. Everything was normal,” he said.

“They were really happy in Perth. That’s why we are really shocked. We couldn’t find any reason for this to happen. They had a good life. She was a lovely lady and he is a nice man.

“He cared so much for his family – I know that.”

Mr Revington said he would support Mr Govindhan-Vairavan as best he could.

“I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t have the words to explain or comfort him,” he said.

The local community is reeling over the shock deaths. Picture: 9 News

Students from Abiyah and Aiden’s Southern Rivers school have penned heartfelt messages to the siblings, with a makeshift memorial brimming with tributes outside Providence Christian College’s administration block.

“Dear Aiden, I feel so sad … I wish you were here … there are so many questions that need to be answered. Please come back … we all miss you so much,” one letter read.

A classmate of Abiyah’s wrote “remember I will always love you”.

“It pains me to know I will never see you smile … laugh with you and even wave to you,” the letter said.

“Your secrets! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone in honour of you. I will never forget you. See you in heaven.”

Their bodies were found inside a burnt out John Graham Reserve in the Perth suburb of Coogee. Picture: 9 News

Principal, Bill Innes, told Nine News Perth earlier this week that the school, in Perth’s southeastern suburbs, had been rocked by the news.

“You’re never prepared for something like this,” he said.

“We have a thing called a critical incident policy and it sits in a folder somewhere in the back there and you hope to never pull that out. We had to with this.

“This was so totally unexpected, they were a lovely family and I guess we don’t understand. It’s not our place to understand, but it came as a huge, huge shock.”

Homicide detectives spoke to Mr Govindhan-Vairavan for around two hours at Perth Airport on Wednesday night.

Police are treating the deaths as a tragedy but are still investigating why and what led to three lives being taken in the suspected murder-suicide.

Originally published as ‘Absolutely shattered’ dad returns to Perth after wife, kids killed in car fire ‘murder-suicide’