Gumleaf
June 30th, 2008, 05:02 AM
18:00 AEST Mon Jun 30 2008
By ninemsn staff with AAP
A grandfather in his 70s is believed to have bludgeoned his wife and two grandchildren to death with an axe in the central western New South Wales town of Cowra.
Police have confirmed the man, John Walsh, also attacked his daughter and mother of the two children, police officer Senior Constable Shelley Walsh.
Ms Walsh has been airlifted to Orange Base Hospital with serious injuries including a laceration to the head.
The bodies of the children, a boy aged seven and girl aged five, and Mr Walsh's wife — who smh.com.au reports is named Mabel — remain at the house in Brougham Street where the attack occured.
Police have now launched a desperate hunt for Mr Walsh who is believed to be on the run in the Newcastle or Canberra area in a silver-coloured Toyota Avalon with the NSW number plate YSW 616.
Police have informed the father of the children, also thought to be a police officer, of the horrific tragedy, and are now protecting him with the belief the attacker is on his way to harm him, the Daily Telegraph reports.
They believe the man had threatened to kill the estranged husband.
Mr Walsh is described as being about 157cm tall, with thick wavy white hair combed to one side, a medium build, and pale blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-coloured shirt.
A third child connected to the family may have been at school when the attacks occurred.
Cowra local Vince Anderson said the injured policewoman had run into his sister's house, screaming.
"The daughter ran into her place and screaming and knocking on the door to get into her house and Cheryl opened the door and let her in and locked all the house up," he told AAP.
"And she said that they're all dead in there, and she's got to ring the police and she got on the phone.
"She had big gash in the side of the head where he hit her too."
Mr Anderson said he understood the family was attacked by the policewoman's father, and that the dead were her children and mother.
"I didn't really know them. They kept pretty quiet to themselves," he said.
"They were pretty quiet people, they didn't come out much."
Police cordoned off streets around the house where the fatal attacks occurred.
An employee at a nearby smash repairer said there is a heavy police presence surrounding the area, with officers wearing bulletproof vests.
By ninemsn staff with AAP
A grandfather in his 70s is believed to have bludgeoned his wife and two grandchildren to death with an axe in the central western New South Wales town of Cowra.
Police have confirmed the man, John Walsh, also attacked his daughter and mother of the two children, police officer Senior Constable Shelley Walsh.
Ms Walsh has been airlifted to Orange Base Hospital with serious injuries including a laceration to the head.
The bodies of the children, a boy aged seven and girl aged five, and Mr Walsh's wife — who smh.com.au reports is named Mabel — remain at the house in Brougham Street where the attack occured.
Police have now launched a desperate hunt for Mr Walsh who is believed to be on the run in the Newcastle or Canberra area in a silver-coloured Toyota Avalon with the NSW number plate YSW 616.
Police have informed the father of the children, also thought to be a police officer, of the horrific tragedy, and are now protecting him with the belief the attacker is on his way to harm him, the Daily Telegraph reports.
They believe the man had threatened to kill the estranged husband.
Mr Walsh is described as being about 157cm tall, with thick wavy white hair combed to one side, a medium build, and pale blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a light-coloured shirt.
A third child connected to the family may have been at school when the attacks occurred.
Cowra local Vince Anderson said the injured policewoman had run into his sister's house, screaming.
"The daughter ran into her place and screaming and knocking on the door to get into her house and Cheryl opened the door and let her in and locked all the house up," he told AAP.
"And she said that they're all dead in there, and she's got to ring the police and she got on the phone.
"She had big gash in the side of the head where he hit her too."
Mr Anderson said he understood the family was attacked by the policewoman's father, and that the dead were her children and mother.
"I didn't really know them. They kept pretty quiet to themselves," he said.
"They were pretty quiet people, they didn't come out much."
Police cordoned off streets around the house where the fatal attacks occurred.
An employee at a nearby smash repairer said there is a heavy police presence surrounding the area, with officers wearing bulletproof vests.