In the city of Port Hedland, in Western Australia, a woman has been arrested and charged with the murder of her three children, all of whom were killed when their home caught fire.
On July 19, firefighters who went to the blaze on Anderson Street discovered the bodies of a girl aged 10 and two boys aged seven and five months old.
Their mother, Margaret Dale Hawke, who is 36 years old, has been charged with three counts of murder and one act of criminal damage by fire in connection with the deaths of her children.
The police have decided not to release her on bail, and she was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday before the Perth Magistrates Court.
After the fire, Hawke was taken to the hospital at the Hedland Health Campus for initial treatment before being transported by helicopter to Perth for additional specialised care.
The fire has caused widespread panic in the town of Port Hedland, located in the Pilbara region of the northwest corner of the state of Washington.
Various government entities are responsible for providing support services in the town.
In a statement sent on Friday evening, the Hawke family explained that they were going through a “very terrible grief process” and requested that their privacy be respected during this difficult time for their family.
“We are quietly paying tribute to our three little angels, and just supporting each other at this time,” they said.
“Please let us do this without adding to our grief.”