Police have arrested and charged a 40-year-old woman with murder in relation to the death of three young sisters in Timaru last night.
The mother is due to appear in the Timaru District Court tomorrow morning.
Police believe Lauren Dickason killed her twin daughters Maya and Karla, 2, and their older sister Liane, 6, at the property in Queen St, Parkside, on Thursday.
Reports said her husband Graham returned home on Thursday to find the bodies of his twin daughters Maya and Karla, 2, and their older sister Liane, 6.
The family had recently arrived in New Zealand and had been in Timaru for just a week after moving from South Africa and leaving managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).
“The family – Graham, an orthopaedic surgeon, Lauren, a doctor, and their three girls – arrived in New Zealand in late August, a photograph online showing the girls happily clutching little kiwis and with beaming smiles as they embarked on their new life”, Stuff reported.
Police would like to reassure the community that this was a tragic isolated incident and we are not seeking anyone else, Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said.
An earlier release stated one child was aged seven and two were three.
This is incorrect, they were aged six and two, Anderson said.
“We apologise for this error”.
A scene examination will continue at the Queen Street address tomorrow.
As this matter is now before the courts, Police will not be making any further comment.
