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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Cairns deaths: Children's mother arrested for murder | Cairns deaths: Children's mother arrested for murder |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The mother of seven of eight children found dead in a home in Cairns, Australia, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. | The mother of seven of eight children found dead in a home in Cairns, Australia, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. |
| Police said the woman, aged 37, was lucid and talking to investigators. She has not been charged. | Police said the woman, aged 37, was lucid and talking to investigators. She has not been charged. |
| She was found at the property, suffering stab wounds, alongside the bodies of the eight children. | She was found at the property, suffering stab wounds, alongside the bodies of the eight children. |
| They were aged 18 months to 15 years. Police have not said how they died. The eighth child was her niece. | They were aged 18 months to 15 years. Police have not said how they died. The eighth child was her niece. |
| Confirming the arrest, Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said: "The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base Hospital." | Confirming the arrest, Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said: "The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base Hospital." |
| "At this stage we're not looking for anybody else - we're comfortable that the community at large is safe," he added. | "At this stage we're not looking for anybody else - we're comfortable that the community at large is safe," he added. |
| 'Unspeakable crime' | 'Unspeakable crime' |
| A coroner is due to conduct post mortems on the children to determine the cause of death. | |
| Police found a number of weapons at the scene , including knives, which are being examined. | |
| The woman's name has not been released. Her age was first given as 34 but has since been corrected to 37. | The woman's name has not been released. Her age was first given as 34 but has since been corrected to 37. |
| The bodies were reportedly discovered by the mother's 20-year-old son arriving at the home on Friday morning. | |
| A candlelight vigil and church service was held on Friday evening for the children. | A candlelight vigil and church service was held on Friday evening for the children. |
| Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement it was an "unspeakable crime". | Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement it was an "unspeakable crime". |
| These were "trying days for our country", he added. | These were "trying days for our country", he added. |
| The deaths come just days after the siege of a cafe in Sydney which ended with the gunman and two hostages dead. | The deaths come just days after the siege of a cafe in Sydney which ended with the gunman and two hostages dead. |