A mother and her three children were found dead inside their home as the father who called the police appeared ‘extremely distressed’ as he waited for emergency services to arrive.
Paramedics were called to the family home in Melbourne on Thursday and emergency crews found the bodies of Katie Perinovic, 43, and three young children – Matthew, 3, Anna, 5, and Claire, 7.
Acting Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill said that the mother and her children “died in suspicious circumstances” but the investigation is still in its early stages.
The mother-of-three worked as a physiotherapist at Glenroy Physiotherapy for many years but she quit her job three months ago. Reports said that she may have fallen into a depression.
“As to who is culpable for the death of the four people that is yet to be determined and we should not draw any conclusions at this point in time,” Dep Comm Hill said.
“We just need to understand the facts, and unfortunately they’re not known to us but will be in the fullness of time.”
Dep Comm Hill added: “We have a long way to go before we can actually understand and appreciate what occurred.”
The children’s father, Tomislav Perinovic, appeared ‘extremely distressed’ when he was found by paramedics sitting in the front lawn, the Herald Sun reported. He is assisting officers with questions and is a ‘person of interest.’
“He was standing on the street, looking distraught,” one witness said.
Dep Comm Hill said officers do not believe there are other parties involved.
Police confirmed that they are probing multiple different scenarios, including murder-suicide.
Neighbors have been left shocked by the tragic deaths. Marie Groves said of Ms. Perinovic: “She was a well known, beautiful and a very tall lady, very gorgeous and every time she walked past always had a smile on her face (and was) always chatting to everybody.”
Another neighbor, Tara Jenkins, told The Age: “Those kids were so young, just beautiful little kids. (Their mother) was always alone with them and was a very loving mother.
“We would often say hello to each other as our kids played. She was always really cheerful and kind … just a lovely woman.”
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