This post deals with violence and murder and might be triggering for some readers.
Gunnedah, a town in the north-east of New South Wales, is home to about 10,000 people.
It's an agricultural hub, has one of the largest koala colonies in Australia, and is a solid four and a half hour drive away from the coast.
But right now the small, tight-knit community of Gunnedah is reeling with the news of a horrific murder on the outskirts of town.
WATCH: Some of the coverage the story this week. Post continues after video.
On Wednesday morning, after 7am, a 10-year-old girl was found in a Gunnedah bedroom with serious injuries.
The girl's aunt had only left the house at 6:30am to head out onto the rural property to do some farmwork with another child.
Both the 10-year-old and the woman's 14-year-old daughter had seemingly been asleep when she'd left.
Arriving home to the scene, the aunt immediately dialled triple-0. When paramedics arrived on the property, they attempted to revive the young girl, but she was already deceased.
As emergency services swarmed the property, the woman's 14-year-old daughter was nowhere to be seen.