The mother of three young girls, who was found dead in New Zealand just days after the family ended hotel quarantine, has been charged with her murder.
Lauren Dickason, 40, of South Africa, has been charged with the murder of two-year-old twins, Maya and Carla, and their six-year-old sister Liane, at a home in Timaru in the Canterbury region on Thursday.
Her husband Graham Dickason discovered the bodies of their three children after returning home around 10 p.m., and neighbors heard shouting: ‘Is this really happening?’
Graham, who is an orthopedic surgeon, and Lauren, who is also a doctor, moved their family to New Zealand to start a new life.
South African doctor Lauren Dickason, 40, has been charged with the murders of her two-year-old twins Maya and Carla and their six-year-old sister, Liane (pictured together)
The children’s father, Graham Dickason, an orthopedic surgeon, returned to his Timaru home at around 10 pm on Thursday, where he discovered the bodies of the children. Pictured: Graham and Lauren
The family arrived in New Zealand in late August and had just finished their 14-day hotel quarantine, days before the tragedy unfolded.
In a photo posted on social media on August 30, three girls are seen happily holding small kiwi toys smiling as they arrive in the country.
According to reports, 15 minutes before police arrived, a neighbor heard someone cry outside the property on Queen Street, a suburb of Parkside.
Neighbor Jade Whale explained, ‘The first sound we heard was someone crying, and then we heard a loud rumble as if someone slammed the door. Stuff.
‘We could see someone weeping and walking behind the house from our enclosure.’
Another resident, Karen Cowper, heard a man crying and saying ‘Is this really happening?’
The young family (pictured together) had moved from Pretoria, South Africa to New Zealand and recently ended their 14-day hotel quarantine
The girl’s mother, Lauren, was charged with the murder of her three daughters and is due to appear in Timaru district court on Saturday. Pictured: Police tape protects the scene on Queen Street in Timaru, New Zealand’s South Island
‘ We asked him if he was okay. He didn’t answer us and was screaming and crying frantically,’ said Ms. Cowper.
The girl’s mother, Lauren, was taken to nearby Timaru Hospital on Thursday, where her condition is stable.
On Friday, he was charged with the murder of his three daughters and was to appear in the Timaru district court on Saturday.
The family had recently arrived in New Zealand from Pretoria, South Africa and had only been in the city for a week.
The girls’ grandmother said the family was struggling to understand what had happened.
‘It hasn’t really sunk in yet. We are in a terrible state of shock. We are devastated,’ she said Stuff.
Superintendent John Price, District Commander of Canterbury Police, said the family had little contact in New Zealand.
A picture posted on social media on August 30 (pictured) shows three girls happily holding tiny kiwi cuddly toys, arriving in the country with excited smiles.
Earlier this month the mother took to social media to ask for help as they prepared for the move.
She had sought advice on buying furniture in Timaru and wanted to know which schools would be best for her children.
Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said New Zealand police were “talking with people from the address and are not looking for anyone else at this time”.
The death is the second tragedy in so many months to hit the South Island community.
Last month, five teenage boys were killed in a car accident in which only the 19-year-old driver survived.
In South Africa, the girls’ grandmothers said the family was struggling to understand what had happened. Pictured: Twins, Maya and Carla, and sister, Lianne
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