How a fresh start went so horribly wrong for two dead boys

Their small bodies were found in different rooms in a Coonabarabran house, but two young brothers, aged just six and seven, met the same desperate end: victims of a tragic family situation.

The two boys were found dead in the Coonabarabran home in what police described as a “confronting” scene.

Their small bodies were found in different rooms, but two young brothers met the same tragic end: victims of a desperate family situation, yet the warning signs were few.

The boys, Sam, 6, and his brother Max, 7, and their maternal grandmother, 66, moved to Coonabarabran in Central West NSW about a year ago with the promise of a country upbringing, space to roam and a fresh start after some tough years.

Their short lives had not been easy. Sam had suffered medical issues his whole life, having been diagnosed with cancer as a baby.

Both children had lived through a complex family situation, authorities said, with their mother suffering mental health issues and no longer able to care for them.

But no one saw any warning for what would confront police when a routine call to check why the boys hadn’t arrived for school on Monday indicated something was horribly wrong.

Two young officers in a patrol car closest to the family’s property, just eight minutes from the town centre and on a red dirt road, bolted there and forced their way inside.

In the front bedroom of the house lay the body of the younger boy, his older brother in the second bedroom at the rear.

It is believed they had been suffocated.

The officers, both junior in rank but who have been praised as “heroic” for their actions, were then faced with the grandmother attempting to take her own life.

Sam, 6, and his brother Max, 7, with their karate instructor Peter. Pic: Supplied

She was taken under police guard to a local health facility, then transferred to a mental health hospital in Orange where she remained on Tuesday night.

The boys’ biological parents, who live on the Central Coast, had been told of the tragedy. A paternal grandparent was understood to be on their way to the area to formally identify the children.

NSW Police Western Region Commander Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the entire community, along with first responders, were devastated by the boys’ deaths.

He said a dedicated team of detectives were painstakingly probing what went so wrong, but said there were no warning signs and police had never interacted with the family before.

“A death in a small community has an impact on the whole community — the death of two young, innocent boys has a major impact,” he said.

A 66-year-old grandmother has been arrested and remains under police guard after the bodies of two boys. Picture: Antony Hands

He said the grandmother, who was only known to police for something minor would be formally interviewed and likely charged when her mental condition allowed. He confirmed she was facing serious charges.

Local karate instructor Peter Wilkie knew the family and saw no signs of immediate struggles. He said the boys were “good kids, quiet achievers”, the grandmother often took part in lessons.

“She was a helpful woman. She used to hold the bags for other people in the studio,” Mr Wilkie said.

Local councillor Kodi Brady who knew the family personally described the children as “firecrackers”.

“Wild as march hares and cute as buttons,” Mr Brady said.

A post mortem examination of the boys’ bodies is expected to be carried out on Thursday.

Originally published as How a fresh start went so horribly wrong for two dead boys