A man is under police guard in a western Sydney hospital after the body of his heavily pregnant partner was found by her 15-year-old son in a Mount Druitt home overnight.
It is understood Kirralee Paepaerei’s teenage son left the house when the 37-year-old woman and her 38-year-old de facto partner began arguing.
The 15-year-old returned to the home on Chester Street shortly after midnight and found his mother’s body, police said.
“He had been out earlier in the evening and came home and found his mother,” Detective Inspector David Goddard.
Emergency services were called and police said they found the body of Ms Paepaerei, who was about seven months pregnant, with face injuries and chest wounds.
The baby did not survive.
A crime scene was established and the death is being treated as suspicious.
Police said the woman’s 38-year-old partner drove himself to Mount Druitt Police Station a short time later and was arrested after presenting himself.
He was taken to Nepean Hospital with minor injuries that police said were consistent with him being in a fight.
He is currently under police guard and is assisting officers with their inquiries.
Detective Inspector Goddard said the woman’s son was traumatised.
“I can’t describe how he was, he was very distraught.”
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
Top Comments
It disturbs me that I was not even surprised to see another headline related to violence against women. It seems as though our country is in the grip of an epidemic of violence and it frightens me that it seems there is nothing we can do about it. The vast majority of Australian men know how wrong it is to use violence against women, and yet it is happening more and more everyday.
Unfortunately, the fact that a few women have been killed in recent weeks, it is believed that this will actually FUEL a few more to do it. Much like the actual "act" of suicide isn't widely reported for fear it will be "contagious". A police officer last week on TV said that they were increasingly worried that there was a "follow on" effect happening at present, whereby a couple of women have been killed, and this has spurred on more killings as it gives people an "option" they might not have thought of earlier. Frightening and sickening ...