Police in South Australia are investigating the deaths of a 36-year-old woman and her 23-month-old daughter, whose bodies were found floating in the ocean near Port Macdonnell. The woman has been identified as Helena Wright. Her three-month-old son remains missing, and authorities believe there is "zero" chance he will be found alive, with the search now focused on retrieval.
Superintendent Trent Cox confirmed on Wednesday that the incident is being treated as a murder-suicide. The bodies were discovered by fishermen on Monday at the base of cliffs at Cape Northumberland, located at Australia's most southern point. Ms. Wright and her children were from Compton, a community near Mount Gambier.
Claims have emerged that Ms. Wright had approached the Mt Gambier police station on Sunday seeking help but was reportedly told to return on Monday. Superintendent Cox declined to comment on these specific claims, stating that the matter is under coronial investigation.
Police were alerted to the scene at Cape Northumberland car park around 11:30 a.m. on Monday after Ms. Wright's white Isuzu M-UX was found abandoned with its engine still running. While the bodies of Ms. Wright and her daughter were located, there has been no sign of the infant son.
Ms. Wright is described as a well-loved member of the community and was involved with the Mt Gambier Toy Library charity. She was originally from Estonia. The search for the missing baby was expected to continue into Wednesday afternoon, at which point a decision would be made on whether to cease the efforts.