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A woman and a two-year-old girl found dead at a Wollongong lookout have been identified.

 

Content Warning: This post may be distressing to some readers.

— With AAP.

A mother who was found dead with her child at the bottom of a lookout in a suspected murder-suicide south of Sydney has been identified.

Emergency services were called to the location, near Wollongong, on Tuesday afternoon where they found the bodies in dense bushland below a lookout.

They were retrieved about 7pm on Tuesday night.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the bodies of Tanya Ludwig and her two-year-old daughter, Tilly, were found after police responded to a concern for welfare.

A number of people believed to be family members were seen at the scene on Tuesday, 9 News Sydney reported.

In one of her final posts to Facebook back in December, Ludwig shared a list of suicide prevention and counselling services.

“It’s okay to not be okay,” she wrote in the caption ahead of Christmas. “We all need support sometimes.”

tanya ludwig
Tanya Ludwig. Image: Facebook.
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Her profile was bombarded with tributes as news of her and her child's death began filtering out.

"I wish I did know you so I could've tried to help you find light in the dark," one local wrote on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Daily TelegraphLudwig's neighbour Athena Kinnas said she was shocked by the news.

“I can’t believe it,” she said.

“She was so young, a nice lady. A very nice person I saw her with the baby," she added.

“I’m going to miss her,” she said. “And the little girl- they were nice. Very nice people.”

It's believed Ludwig and her partner recently separated. According to reports, she lived in a number of countries, including New Zealand, Austria, Hawaii and Thailand, before she settled in Wollongong.

A report is being prepared for the coroner and police are treating the incident as a potential murder-suicide.

Wollongong Police District commander superintendent Chris Craner said the circumstances of the deaths were still being investigated.

“This is going to be absolutely devastating for the community. It’s going to be devastating for the family,” he said.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness, please seek professional help and contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000 immediately.