Date 18–19 December 2014 Non-fatal injuries 1 (the suspect) Location Cairns, Australia | Weapons Knife or knives Number of deaths 8 Location Cairns Region | |
Suspected perpetrator Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday Similar Queen Street massacre, Strathfield massacre, Uherský Brod shooting, Hoddle Street massacre, Port Arthur massacre | ||
On 19 December 2014, at 11:20 a.m., police were called to a home in the Cairns suburb of Manoora in Australia, where eight children were found dead. The victims were aged between 18 months and 14 years. The bodies, with stab wounds, were discovered by the children's 20-year-old brother. Neighbours reported that fighting could be heard from the house the night before and in the early hours of the morning.
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Victims
There were eight children killed. They were four boys and four girls, and ranged in age from two to 14 years old. Seven of the eight were siblings or half-siblings, and the eighth was their cousin. Their family had ties across Australia, including in Perth.
Suspect
Raina Mersane Ina Thaiday, also called Mersane Warria, was the mother of seven of the children and also the aunt of the eighth. Following the killings, she was hospitalised for self-inflicted wounds from the incident.
On 21 December 2014, she was charged with eight counts of murder. Prior to Christmas, Thaiday was moved to a mental health facility in Brisbane, with a preliminary hearing to occur in Cairns on 30 January 2015. Magistrate Suzette Coates adjourned the case at a brief hearing without Thaiday present. The case was again adjourned on 24 June 2015, pending a call to the Mental Health Court. The case returned to court in July 2016, before being adjourned to a yet to be determined date. Miss. Thaiday is currently being held at the The Park Centre for Mental Health.
Thaiday is alleged to have said to her eldest son "I've killed them" when he visited the house at around 11:00 a.m. Police believe Thaiday drugged the children before the attack took place, as no one reported that they heard the victims during the attack. However, no drugs were found at the crime scene.
Reactions
Tony Abbott, then Prime Minister of Australia, described the event as an "unspeakable crime." Queensland Premier Campbell Newman expressed his sadness and shock about the incident, adding "I ask that all Queenslanders reach out to those who may need support in coming days and do not hesitate to ask for professional assistance if needed". Cairns Region Mayor Bob Manning asked the "people of Cairns to unite and display sympathy for those directly affected by this incident and respect for the police and other authorities who now must go about this difficult work." The Torres Strait Island Regional Council requested respect for privacy and cultural responsibilities, adding it was inappropriate to comment due to "strict cultural protocols".
The children's funeral was held on 10 January 2015 at Cairns Convention Centre. The house was removed and eight frangipani trees were planted on the site as a memorial.