Six children orphaned after mum murdered by partner who then took his own life

Six children were orphaned after a mum was murderedby her partner who then died by suicide.

The bodies of mum Shafeedqa Husseini, 41, and her 47-year-old husband Mirza were found inside a home in Bordertown, some 167 miles southeast of Adelaide, in South Australia. Police found the bodies during a welfare check at about 11pm on Sunday.

Officers later confirmed Mirza had murdered his wife before dying by suicide. Acting Assistant Commissioner Cath Hilliard told reporters on Monday that Husseini was known to police "through a previous domestic violence incident earlier in the year, and that involved the deceased woman."

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She added: "However, they were no current court imposed restrictions in relation to the individuals preventing any contact between the couple." Police said their children were not in the home at the time of the deaths.

Ms Hilliard said a relative alerted authorities and stated they had been in contact with the couple during the day before they were unable to get a hold of them. Neighbours told The Adelaide Advertiser that the family was originally from Afghanistan and moved to Australia some 15 years ago.

Family members had worked for JBS Meatworks, a beef and lamb processing company. neighbour Merrilyn Newman said the pair had adult children with some attending university.

"It's devastating, it’s really sad - especially because they are from so far away, so as far as relatives and someone to lean on, you haven’t got it,” she told the masthead."

Bordertown Islamic Community Centre manager Adeel Khan described Shafeeqa as a "good lady" who loved assisting at community events. Mr Khan said: "She was a very good cook, so we used to request her and she used to cook food for our community."

He added the community was horrified by the deaths. Mr Khan continued: "It is really sad news … whatever has happened is not good, it’s a massive shock.

"It’s a small community, everyone knows each other … so we will be missing these guys."

For confidential support, call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247 or visit womensaid.co.uk. If you or your family have lost a friend or family member through fatal domestic abuse, AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) can offer specialist and expert support and advocacy. For more info visit** www.aafda.org.uk**.