Police have confirmed that a woman is alleged to have carried out a stabbing attack involving three young children in the Blue Mountains, leaving one child dead and two others critically injured in hospital.
The woman, who is in her 40s, is also in a critical condition.
A group of cyclists discovered the woman and three young children suffering stab wounds on Waratah Road at Valley Heights, near Springwood, early on Sunday afternoon.
One of the children died at the scene, despite witnesses attempting to provide first aid before emergency crews arrived.
The children were found inside a car that had partly pulled into a vacant block beside a fire trail leading towards the national park. The woman was located outside the vehicle.
Waratah Road resident Peita Davies said neighbours knew one another and did not recognise the woman or children as locals.
‘Nobody heard anything,’ she told the Sydney Morning Herald. ‘We all want to know how they ended up here.’
Local resident Glenn Lyall initially believed the large police response was connected to a serious crash.
Police have confirmed that a woman is alleged to have carried out a stabbing attack involving three young children, leaving one dead and two others fighting for their lives in hospital.
The alleged domestic violence incident in the Blue Mountains occurred at the end of a violent weekend across NSW.
‘I could see a hatchback on an angle and two cyclists pointing, and I thought the car had hit one of the cyclists,’ Lyall said.
Another resident described the scene as distressing, saying: ‘There was a lot of blood and it was horrific to come across.’
The alleged domestic violence incident followed a devastating weekend in NSW, after three women were allegedly murdered in their homes during a 12-hour period on Saturday.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna described the previous two days as devastating.
‘It’s a horrific and tragic weekend and it’s like one that I don’t remember in my career,’ he told Nine’s Today.
‘When you balance out those three and plus the no-more-tragic situation than we had in the Blue Mountains. Put them all together and it’s unfathomable.’
Paramedics treated the injured woman and children at the scene on Sunday. The woman and the surviving children were then taken by road to Westmead Hospital and Westmead Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
‘The two children and their mother are in a critical condition,’ Mr McKenna said.
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Blue Mountains Police Area Command Commander Superintendent John Nelson speaks to the media on Sunday.
Emergency crews were called to Valley Heights after reports that a woman and three young children had suffered stab wounds inside a vehicle.
‘The mother is the suspect in this matter, for domestic related homicide, and that investigation is ongoing.’
Hours after the incident, NSW Police Superintendent John Nelson said the father of the children had been notified.
He said the father had been at work when he received the call from police.
‘You can imagine receiving that tragic news,’ Supt Nelson told reporters.
He said the woman had not previously come to the attention of police and that investigators were not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
The woman is aged in her 40s, and the children are all under five years old.
All three have undergone surgery in hospital.
Supt Nelson praised the efforts of the ‘upstanding’ members of the public who responded to the tragic scene.
‘People are just going about a lovely Sunday afternoon and being confronted with this is traumatic and tragic for anybody,’ he said.
He said responding officers would not be spared the hardship and would have access to available support services.
Police said the weapon used and the circumstances surrounding the incident would form part of the investigation.
Blue Mountains councillor Darren Rodrigo on Sunday described the news as ‘absolutely horrendous and tragic’.
‘Our deepest love and condolences to the immediate family and our prayers with all the children involved,’ he said.
‘A massive thank you to the community members (who) intervened to provide medical assistance and to our first responders for their incredible support and courage during this time.’
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