New Details Emerge About Mother Accused of Stabbing Her Three Children

A mother accused of attacking her three young children with a knife was found in nearby scrubland, screaming and moving frantically, while the children remained silent inside a car, a witness has said.

The disturbing account follows the death of a five-year-old boy and the critical injuries suffered by his two younger siblings on a quiet Blue Mountains road on Sunday afternoon.

Police allege the 42-year-old woman stabbed all three children, who were aged five and under, before injuring herself with the weapon.

The family was found after two cyclists and a passing driver stopped on Waratah Road in Valley Heights and began trying to assist.

Julie Sukkar, who lives nearby, said she first assumed the commotion outside her home was the result of a road crash.

When she stepped outside, however, she saw a white four-wheel-drive sitting on a vacant block with its doors open. The three children were inside, while their mother was lying in the bushes close by.

Ms Sukkar told Daily Mail Australia she noticed a young girl wearing a pink-and-white floral dress as rescuers lifted her from the car seat.

She said she had initially seen only two children, before realising there was a third inside the vehicle.

The woman in the bushes was shouting and thrashing, although Ms Sukkar said she could not make out what she was saying or whether she was trying to communicate.

The witness said the woman had suffered serious injuries and was covered in blood.

Amid the rush of first responders around the vehicle, it was the children’s lack of reaction that left the strongest impression on Ms Sukkar.

She said the children were not crying or screaming and appeared not to be moving.

Ms Sukkar said police and paramedics arrived quickly and worked to respond to the emergency.

According to Ms Sukkar, officers initially placed the mother in handcuffs but later removed them as she was taken to an ambulance on a stretcher.

She said police released the restraints soon after determining the injured woman no longer posed a threat to others.

Police have said the family had no known connection to the Blue Mountains and was not previously known to officers.

Authorities also confirmed the children’s father was at work when the alleged attack occurred.

As the investigation continued on Monday, several detectives went door to door through the small Blue Mountains community as they worked to piece together the woman’s movements in the hours before the tragedy.

Police have confirmed they are treating the death of the five-year-old boy as a domestic violence incident and that his mother is the only suspect.

Police will allege the wounds sustained by the mother were self-inflicted.

The woman remains in a critical condition and detectives have not yet been able to interview her.

Ms Sukkar also praised the quick actions of the three strangers who stopped and raised the alarm, saying their decision to help may have saved the lives of the two surviving children.

‘There was two cyclists and one woman who I think was driving past and stopped,’ she said.

‘She was very distraught and got in the back to help the baby.

‘I think those kids probably wouldn’t have survived if they hadn’t stopped.’

Despite witnessing the bloody aftermath and later learning that police suspect the mother was responsible, Ms Sukkar said she could not bring herself to condemn her.

‘I felt really sad for her and for the kids as well,’ she said. 

‘To be in that state of mind, I couldn’t even imagine it.

‘I have read Facebook people calling her a monster. I think people can point the finger a little too early before they know what’s happened.

‘If you haven’t been through mental illness, you wouldn’t understand it.’