Woman, 3 children shot dead at farm in eastern Australia

USPA News - A mother and her three children were found shot to death Tuesday at their farm near a rural town in southeastern Australia, authorities said on Wednesday, expressing "grave concerns" for the woman`s husband who remained unaccounted for. The murders were first reported at about 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday when police were called to a farm about 13 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Lockhart, a town in the Riverina Region of New South Wales (NSW).

Officers located the bodies of three children inside the house while a woman`s body was found on a path at the rear of the house. The victims were not yet formally identified but are understood to be 41-year-old Kim Hunt, her 10-year-old son Fletcher, and her two daughters, Mia and Phoebe, ages eight and six. The woman`s husband, who remained unaccounted-for on Wednesday, was identified as 44-year-old Geoff. "Two crime scenes have been established at the property," a New South Wales Police spokesperson said. "One is located at the homestead; the other is near a dam where police searching the property found an unattended white utility. ... Police divers will search the dam and other waterways." Police said all four victims were believed to have sustained gunshot wounds, but it was not immediately known when the murders took place. Authorities expressed "grave concerns" for Geoff and appealed for information from the public to help locate him. They urged members of the public to not approach him and to instead call emergency number 000, though they stopped short of calling him a suspect in the quadruple homicide. Geoff was described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 1.93 meter (6.3 foot) tall, with a medium and athletic build, short brown hair, and a clean-shaven face. "People with information about the man`s whereabouts are asked to contact Strike Force Tullaroan investigators via Crime Stoppers," police said. "If the man is sighted, do not to approach him, but contact Triple Zero immediately."