FRIENDS and neighbours talked at length yesterday for the first time about the dramatic events which led to the discovery of the murder-suicide of three young children and their father in a car on a remote bush property west of Eden last week.
One person also talked about having to tell Karen Bell that her three children had been killed.
They also described the detailed planning, which the father Gary Bell put into the killing of his three young children Jack, 7, Maddie 5, and Bon, 18 months.
The doors and windows of a four-wheel drive vehicle were taped and barricaded to ensure there was no possibility of escape.
The bodies were discovered on Friday on the commune-style property where they had lived for the past three years in Fulligans Road, Pericoe, 50 kilometres west of Eden.
The most deeply affected were Tracey Wilson and her partner Peter Porada who found the bodies shortly after 10am on Friday.
From Page 1
There is still a question mark over when the family died.
No one had seen the four since last Sunday.
Ms Wilson said that the children’s mother, Karen Bell, a close friend, had called her last week to ask her if she would call around at the house to see how they were.
“When we got there, there was an eerie silence,” she said.
“I went to the house. I was yelling out and there was nothing, only three dogs barking.
“Then I saw Peter looking in their car and straight away he yelled at me to get back in our car.
“I said to him they’re dead aren’t they. He said, ‘Yes,’ and I just started screaming and screaming.”
Ms Wilson said she then had to tell Karen Bell that her children were dead, because she had heard about the discovery of the bodies through the media.
“I had to tell her that her kids were dead. She asked me how they died and I told her what he did to them,” she said.
She said it was the hardest phone call she’d ever had to make.
“If I could take back my words I would, but I can’t. I couldn’t lie to her either,” she said.
Mr Porada was still too upset yesterday to talk about finding the bodies or their positions
in the car.
Neighbours also talked about the couple’s violent relationship.
They had seen Gary Bell bash and kick his wife in front of the children on one occasion.
On Saturday NSW Premier Morris Iemma said everything was being done to investigate the tragedy.
“There’s a police investigation under way and DOCS is obviously co-operating with that. We need answers. We’re going to find out what happened exactly and
why and what was the response, what action was taken and that will determine the course (of action) as we go forward,” Mr Iemma said.